Impressions invests $100M to boost Guyana’s showcase capability

Jul 23, 2022 News

---

Kaieteur News – Homegrown creative enterprise, Impressions, says it has made more than a G$100M investment in the business of event planning and production, given the country’s increased interest in promoting itself and becoming a major business port for local and international investors.

The company is currently working in partnership with the Ministry of Housing and Water to host the ‘International Building Expo July 21-24, 2022’ which opened yesterday as the National Stadium.

With a $27M budgetary allocation, Housing Minister, Collin Croal told media operatives on Monday that he believes the event could have as much as a $100M return. He said some of that could assist in hosting the massive event. There has been no discussion as yet on how the remainder would be spent.

Impression’s Chief Executive Officer, Neal Sukhlal told Kaieteur News that the company itself has invested large sums of money to grow its enterprise, allowing it to execute what he reiterated as the biggest expo in Guyana. Sukhlal said his company was tasked with bringing the Housing Ministry’s vision to life with the creation of the event’s concept, the provision of branding services, logistics and infrastructure. There had been assertions of favouritism about the company’s selection for the project. When asked, Sooklall said that, “Impressions has been in the business of event production, particularly the hosting of large expos, countrywide for over 25 years, and is a leader in its class.”

The CEO said the company has conceptualized and executed numerous expos for various sectors which include tourism, health, business, and agriculture.

Government has since announced that the modernised ‘GuyExpo’ which, despite Covid-19 setbacks, is set to be bigger and better with a comeback this year.

Sukhlal told this newspaper that the company has nonetheless invested the massive sum in recognition of the upgraded services needed in showcasing Guyana to potential investors. “Guyana as we know it is changing and we see the image that the country is portraying. So, we are moving in that direction by investing in what is needed to promote Guyana professionally and international.”

There are over 25 international participants of the almost 400 Building Expo exhibitors and they are offering various housing options, alongside their Guyanese counterparts. An additional benefit is that while the expo is attracting foreign businesses, it is also attracting partnerships and cooperation between locals and outsiders, ministry officials have said.  To that, Sooklall added that, “In expos such as these where Guyana and its assets, services and abilities are on display, we have to ensure that it is done correctly, with the experienced people in place to execute it.” The CEO said that the event organizer must be able to provide options that enable local companies to offer themselves in the best way possible. That is why, he said, Impressions offers branding and logistics expertise to ensure these expos reflect the country in its brightest light.

He said that the Building Expo sits on 100,000 sq. ft. of exhibitors’ space. It comprises of an equipment zone, a specially designated area which will display various heavy equipment and technologies used in the construction industry. On entering the main exhibit area, a ‘One Guyana’ area with a creatively welded corresponding sign is constructed on the right of the pathway which leads to the ‘Guyana 2030’ tunnel where spectators get a glimpse of ‘Guyana 2030’ on more than 30 large monitors lined along the walk space. There are two main fully air conditioned tents that will hold over 80 exhibitors each.

There are 300 prefab exhibition booths which include several fully air conditioned 20 by 20 executive stations that now add to the company’s wide range of related assets, the CEO said.

Among the Expo’s main attraction is the 100 percent recycled plastic compact bricks said to be more durable than concrete, cheaper and heat resistant. It takes about four men to assemble the three-bedroom home in no more than 10 days after placing all material on spot. The 3D printing home will also be a crowd favourite.

It is said that the home design is ran through the related system which sends the information to the relevant machines that produce the parts of the home that has to be assembled.

The Ministry of Housing will have three homes on display. Landscaping professionals, building experts, equipment providers, financial institutions, and even International hotel franchises will be on display during this weekend’s event.

Minister Croal said that while the building expo is economics and business related, it must also provide a family atmosphere as well. “We want it to have a family atmosphere since we are providing them with options in the home they might want in the future.”  He said that the government has a backlog of some 50,000 housing applications and it intends on answering every application before the next election. The expo is one way of showing citizens what is available, the Housing Minister said.

 

 

---

---