Indonesia hosts Asian SMEs event

Indonesia is hosting the fourth Asian SME (small medium enterprise) Conference 2016, from Sept. 13 to 17 in Kota Kasablanka shopping mall in South Jakarta.

Cooperatives and SMEs Minister Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga said the conference should facilitate SME players in strengthening their competence to face the global competition.

“I hope SME players get optimally empowered,” the minister said in a statement as quoted by tempo.co on Tuesday.

He said he expected Indonesian SMEs to thrive in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). “Good products, good services are not enough to survive the AEC,” he said. Thus, the conference was expected to give SMEs solutions to thrive in the AEC.

The conference is targeting 700 participants from 15 countries.

Puspayoga said Asia had become the center of economic growth and the biggest market in the world. Asia is ready to compete with other continents, he said.

The event is presented by Asian Council for Small Business (ACSB) and endorsed by the ministry and the International Council for Small Business (ICSB). The event will have seminars with speakers from Malaysia, the US, Taiwan, among others and visits to cosmetics company Martha Tilaar Group and to Bandung in West Java.