2009 shows confidence in Guyana’s economy – Prashad
About 300 exhibitors participating in this year’s GuyExpo, which opens this evening at the National Exhibition Centre, Sophia, attended a seminar on Monday with Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad.
Exhibitors moving furniture into the main auditorium yesterday as preparations for this evening’s opening continued. (Photo by Jules Gibson)
According to a press release from the GuyExpo 2009 Committee, this year’s turnout is the largest and an indication of the huge public and private sector participation anticipated.
At the seminar held in the main auditorium of the National Exhibition Centre, Prashad expressed satisfaction with the level of participation and special interest shown by exhibitors and investors.
According to the release, the minister told the gathering that their turnout is being viewed as a display of their preparedness and confidence in Guyana’s economy.
GuyExpo, Guyana’s largest trade and investment exposition, was started in 1995 by the Guyana Office for Trade and Investment (Go Invest), the Guyana Manufacturers’ Association and the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce as a bi-annual event to showcase locally produced goods and services.
In 2004, however, the event became an annual one and is seen as the longest sustained exhibition in the Caribbean. The release noted that in the same year, the growth and interdependence of the international trade organizers opened the exhibition to Caricom and other regional exhibitors.
The last GuyExpo which was held in 2007 attracted in excess of 70,000 patrons, including special invitees and guests, and more than 300 exhibitors, displaying a wide range of products, craft and services. Exhibitors, according to the press release, came from Barbados, India, China, Brazil and Jamaica, among other countries. GuyExpo is now a national occasion which has been placed on the ministry’s annual calendar of events. This exposition and trade fair offers business associates the opportunity to meet, network and negotiate with international companies and establishments, as well as showcase their skills, talents and creative works.
GuyExpo, which ends on October 6 is being held under the theme, ‘Promoting Business in a Low Carbon Environment’. It fuses a wide cross-section of producers of handicraft, furniture, garments, jewellery, horticulture, pharmaceuticals, tourism and information technology as well as Guyanese culture.
Progress, development and democracy for all the Guyanese people…..
I attended the last one and many others. Hope there is more room now–it got a bit congested in some places…
You better come in for dis one reds. Got lots of room now…
The place bare like a baby’s butt…
as de boys would seh, de dance buss…
Hopefully lots of people go to the big bubble session pon de weekend. Failin which Odinga could bring Movado again…
Or d PPP could bus people in…
One cannot show off what one does not have. Guyexpo is the answer to those critics who harp ad nauseam that nothing good is happening in Guyana under the PPP government after 17 years in office. Keep in mind that 17 years of PNC rule (in 1981) was marked by long food lines, empty shop shelves and a battered business sector. A Guyexpo in 1981? Unthinkable! Good luck to the individuals and businesses participating in this year’s exhibition. I look forward to reading the reports tomorrow on the opening ceremony.
Why does everything have to come back to politics and eventually racism? This is not about regime it is about the people of Guyana having the opportunity to showcase what we have to offer the region and world at large. Can we for once celebrate that without making mention of what regime is in power or who did what, when, where and how? My goodness people when will we ever sing the same song if it always comes back to this rather than the focus being on the development of the country no matter who is in power. I wish everyone participating in this years event much success.
good point BK,but your cries for unity will not get you nowhere,remember this is guyana you’r talking about, where politics reign supreme.
A Guyexpo in 1981? Unthinkable!
It used to be held in the Multilateral School Compound at the bend on Mandela Avenue (Opposite “Back School”)…In those days it was called the Guyana National Exhibition. These days its called GuyExpo. Back then they had Poke International, Samuels Top Ranking, Quantum Theory, the Big Stereo sets entertaining the masses…Now is SteroSonic and Fusion doin the same thing. Big bubble session, no serious commerce. Just like back in the day the PNC had Grow More Food. Now we got Grow More (which has quietly disappeared like most of the other 5yr plans)! The PPP just dusting off the PNC playbook…The two of them are one and the same old same old!