Getting SMEs to capitalise on ICT: A showcase of four European initiatives
The technology advancement of the past decades has brought about radical shifts in the way business is conducted. Business ecologies are constantly evolving and despite the resultant growing opportunities, many SMEs find themselves in difficulty due to diseconomies of scale and their limited capacity to keep up with the trends and compete on new fronts.
With a view to assisting SMEs to reposition themselves and become more competitive by capitalising on ICTs, several initiatives are being undertaken by Governments, Authorities and stakeholder bodies across Europe.
Four best practice initiatives which have been successfully implemented in three European regions will be presented and discussed during the next eCommerce forum to be held on Friday, 17th June 2011, at 09.30hrs at the Phoenicia Hotel, Valletta.
Acquisti Verdi nel Turismo (Green Procurement for Tourism) is a procurement platform for the hospitality industry that has been implemented in Emilia Romagna, Italy. Techcheck and Webcheck are two sister initiatives that have been implemented in Galway, Ireland. Techcheck is a scheme that assists small businesses improve operations through the adoption of ICTs whilst Webcheck is aimed at businesses operating in tourism and assists them to design, develop and promote web presence. Video Guides of Viana is an initiative undertaken at the city of Viana in Navarra, Spain that provides an interactive marketing tool to tourism establishments. The leaders of these initiatives will be sharing their experience in the implementation and adoption of these innovative business solutions through ICT.
The 7th Malta Communications Authority, eCommerce Forum is of particular interest to public entities, stakeholder representations, entrepreneurs and students. This event forms part of the INTERREG IVC ICT-VN project and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
