This year, perhaps more than at any time in its previous ten years of the event’s existence, the unceasing insistence by Roraima Group of Companies CEO Gerry Gouveia’s that his company’s annual Wedding Expo is underpinned by a significance that goes beyond the glitz and glitter of an exotic wedding ceremony for some hitherto unknown couple was in evidence.
On Saturday evening the sustained procession around the Roraima Duke Lodge’s modest pool by elegantly dressed young men and women parading wedding costumes and attractive ‘dressy’ clothing mirrored the country’s multi-racial fashion traditions. What was in evidence – if you were looking closely, that is – was the unfolding of a unique marketing exercise. The assembled fashion designers and small vendors were parading their offerings to a highly receptive market, stern-faced couples eyeing the pieces fixedly and occasionally indulging in brief animated exchanges on preferred costumes, perhaps for their own weddings and for other occasions that required them to ‘make an appearance.’
On Saturday evening, one of the many small family businesses at the Wedding Expo passed up an interview with the Stabroek Business to ‘tie up’ business with a couple that had gone there to secure services relating to the decorating of the Hall for their wedding reception. Another vendor offering video and photography services disclosed during a post-event briefing that the opening night of the event had gone so well that his firm had had to provide photographic and video services for an event on the following day. Another vendor, a hair stylist had entered into an arrangement to style the bridesmaids’ hair for a wedding scheduled for the end of April. All of them seemed impressed with the fact that such volumes of business could be secured on the first night of setting out their stall at the Duke Lodge.
