On Wednesday the 28th of August I sat down with the Negril Chamber Of Commerce President Richard Wallace for a drink and chat. He was having a beer and I had Appleton and Pepsi. Shortly after we were joined by Rob Greives. It can be said without contradiction that Rob was one of the first to see the value and potential of the Internet in Jamaica and started to onboard Negril businesses from the mid-nineties. I myself also played a roll in doing so. He (the President) knew Rob well and know the role he has been playing regarding the Internet but he did not know that I was apart of it from those early days.
Instinctively we are here at this time, I am here to talk to the Chairman of the Chamber about ReggaeSteem and the blockchain, he smile, the Chairman then asked him if he is aware of ReggaeSteem and he told him yes..
I then explained the concept and how it relate to the tourism sector and in particular the micro,small and medium enterprises known as (MSME'S) which have been loosing market share to the big brands, some of them Global in nature. Small businesses are generally local in nature and have issue of financing, debts, economy of scale etc.
After some strong probing questions he said he like the concept but need to learn more about blockchain.. I suggested that I could do a presentation to the Chamber about it and he welcome that suggestion.. I had gone there before and talked about blockchain in general. At that time a lot of the members express interest and wanted to learn more . The concept of ReggaeSteem did not exist however we (@donald.porter and Myself @miyard) had another project in mine which we were trying to choose the right time to sell it to them. After our first Jamaica Stock Exchange Digital Asset and Blockchain symposium at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston we put that project on pause.
We talk alot about our challenges, what are our strength:
Most MSME'S are run by their owner so visitors can get that personal touch which cannot be provided by the 3000 room hotel.
The family of that property becomes your extended family abroad.
The band and connection is everlasting
Weddings, parties, conference etc get that special feel because chances are that wedding etc takes over that entire small hotel.
You don't have to be regimented regarding your activities.
You can check out the local happenings and mingle with the local culture not just a sanitized package presentation.
When you buy fruits, vegetable, jerk chicken etc there is a big chance you are supporting the local economy and helping to send some children to school.
ReggaeSteem have a huge challenge one which we are committed to, with @steemit , @steem-engine, the tribes, all our ambassadors and the reggaesteem community we are going to make adaption a reality because we have all the ingredients needed...
The picture was taken a the Boardwalk Shopping Village own by Richard Wallace the Chairman of the Negril Chamber of Commerce..The particular shop was the Sushi Restaurant and Bar.
