— Linden Chambers of Commerce vice-president

THIS year’s Linden Exhibition and Trade Fair has been deemed the biggest thus far since the commencement of the initiative, with over 84 booths filling the Linden Technical Institute (LTI) compound during the weekend.

The more significant hallmark of this year’s fair, however, is that compared to previous years, there were more participation from Linden businesses, inclusive of entrepreneurs, agro-processors, manufacturers and small-scale entrepreneurs.

Highlighting this significant achievement was vice president of the Linden Chambers of Industry Commerce and Development (LCICD), Lyndon Younge, who said, “Holistically there were more booths than last year but there were more Linden booths than last year… we had about 25 to 30 booths that are Linden… we had the craft, people who do pepper, soap and other detergents, so I think what we need to start doing is to utilise our own before we step outside and that is going to give our money more weight than value,” Younge said.

Some of the local entrepreneurs were Pleasurable Flavours, DeSouza’s Manufacturing, Linden Bricks, Monica’s Fabric Designs, and Pam’s Coconut Oil Production, amongst others.
Dianna Braford from Pam’s Coconut Oil Production located in Wisroc, said she has been manufacturing virgin coconut oil by-products for four years, but this is the first time she showcased at the expo.

“I do the fragrance oil, the cherry, the vanilla and I also do the hair oil, I produce them all my by self for four years, I went to GUYEXPO, Business Expo, I would normally go out when there is something” Pam related. She decided to participate in the Linden Expo to gain clientele.

Trying to gain clientele as well was fabric designer, Wilma Hutson who uses various products and raw materials such as pearls, beads and flowers to design clothing with her hands.
“I am happy to be here because, I have learnt a lot,” she said.

SHOWCASING LINDEN
President of the LCICD Victor Fernandes said, the expo’s aim is to rebrand Linden as the ideal destination for business and investment, while simultaneously giving local

manufacturers and entrepreneurs a chance to advertise their products and services. With several national and international agencies and businesses also being at the fair, such as ExxonMobil, Fernandes said the aim was not to merely showcase locally produced items as well as local services available, but to push the idea to established investors, both in an out of Guyana, that Linden has tremendous potential for investments.

“The aim of the fair is showcase Linden and its potential, we cannot limit it to Linden only, of course, Linden is a part of Guyana and our intention is to attract investors primarily, to get on board and to have some confidence in Linden as a community,” Fernandes said.

With Linden being strategically located in a region which spans the three main rivers and can be accessed by several other regions, including all interior locations, Fernandes is pushing for Linden to become the business hub for these other administration regions.

“We want Linden to be so positioned that people can come to Linden to do their business and return. This is only possible if we transform our own approach in this community, we have to change the way we do business, it has to be a radical change, one which includes our whole perception of business.”

SHORT COMINGS
Younge revealed that one of the major challenges the LCIC encountered was the lack of sponsorship, and he is hoping that next year businesses will understand their cooperate responsibility and give back. The 2018 venue was a change from the signature venue, the Egbert Benjamin Conference Centre, and because most of the booths were outdoors, the inclement weather throughout the three days, may have hindered the huge support the participants were looking forward to from the Linden community.

In solving these issues, Younge said that early coordination will ensure that the venue next year will “weather all weathers”. Next year, the chamber will also be including entrepreneurs from the outlying communities in Region 10.
“We want persons to come out, see more innovations, more creativity, again, we want to see that those skills be turned into actual marketing products and not just send out the whole product,” he said.

He added: “I believe that persons should not come and ask what the chamber can do, but what they can do for the chamber because the chamber is the quality and the quantity of our membership, so if we don’t have persons coming on board, sharing ideas and supporting with their corporate responsibilities and so on, we would not move.”

This year’s exhibition was held under the theme “Exploring Opportunities, Empowering Businesses in a green 2018.” Some of the government and non-governmental agencies that were also advertising their products and services were Sol Guyana, the National Insurance Scheme, the Department of Public Information, the United States of America Embassy, and the Guyana Forestry Commission, among others.