GUYEXPO preparations in full force

Oct 01, 2014 News

Preparations are in full force, as it is crunch time for exhibitors to complete their booths in time for the country’s premier trading exhibition, GUYEXPO, which is held annually at the National Exhibition Centre in Sophia.

Members of the planning committee with Tourism Minister, Irfaan Ali (centre)

As of today, many of the stalls set to be present at the exhibition are still under construction. However, Event Coordinator Tameca Sukhdeo-Singh promises that all structures will be completed by noon tomorrow, “…just in time for the festivities of the opening ceremony”.
The event will be held under the theme “Transformation: Partnering for a better Guyana”. Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Irfaan Ali, in brief remarks, thanked the sponsors of the highly-anticipated exhibition.
GUYEXPO, which will be held from October 2-5, received support from long-time sponsors like Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GT&T), Digicel, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), Global Technology Incorporated, E-Networks, Barama Group of Companies, and Ansa McAl Group of Companies. Some of the new sponsors include Corum Distribution and Shangri-La Gardens.
Sponsors commented that the primary reason for their participation in the exhibition is always the chance to interact with supporters of their companies and to personally thank them for their loyalty throughout the years.
The Minister once again assured the public that this year’s exhibition will be the “biggest” and most festive expo yet, with emphasis on promoting the indispensible relationship between businesses and their customers.
While preparations are still underway, the Event Coordinator is anticipating that the committee will achieve their goal of 400 booths.
“Our state of readiness stands at 395 booths and we’re confident that we will continue to add more to the exhibition,” affirmed Singh, as she elaborated that “exhibitors are even coming in the nights to get their booths ready in time for Thursday”.

Workmen erecting booths for GUYEXPO 2014

International interest is also said to be at an all-time high as, according to coordinators, delegations from Antigua, Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, French Guiana and India, along with a few others, are expected to arrive today. These delegates will occupy the ‘International Pavilion’ which will showcase the unique cultural, business and trading opportunities that they have to offer the Guyanese public.
Patrons can expect an intricate showcase of handcrafted furniture from the Pakistani delegation, who commented that they are “ready for Guyana”. This delegation will be represented by Global Connections. The Director of the company, Kamran Shaikh, relayed that he hopes that he can establish a business relationship with the Guyanese public as he remarked that he sees a lot of potential here.
Also highlighted by Singh was the inaugural presentation of the ‘Guyana Supermarket’ which will boast to have 100 percent Guyanese agricultural products on sale. For this stall, the planning committee is working in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture to promote their ‘Buy Local, Eat Local, Live Local’ campaign.
This campaign, which ties into Agriculture Month activities this month, is aiming to increase the consumption of Guyanese produce in the agriculture sector. The Guyana Supermarket will have “fresh produce, along with processed and packaged products”, with a layout that mimics that of an actual supermarket with eight to nine aisles of shelved products.
With the opening ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, organizers are convinced that the event will go off without a hitch. Attendees can expect presentations from the Tourism Ministry, the Private Sector, local and international performances, and a keynote address from His Excellency President Donald Ramotar.