Minister Prashad reiterates increasing role of GuyExpo
GUYEXPO has, over the years, continued to play an ever increasing role as a tool for economic development, promoting trade and investment opportunities in Guyana, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manniram Prashad reminded on Wednesday.
He said the interest generated by it has also led to an increase in regional and bilateral trade and in recognition of this, an investment seminar has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 28 , at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC), Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, the day prior to the official opening of GuyExpo on September 29.
At a media briefing, in his South Road, Georgetown office on Wednesday, he said: “We find a lot of buyers coming to GuyExpo and the seminar that we will be having on Wednesday is basically about ‘matchmaking’. For example, the hotels in Barbados would like to meet the people who make the furniture. They will now have an opportunity to meet at the Conference Centre, make contact and then follow up.”
Several Government Ministers, as well as representatives of Go-Invest and the private sector will be addressing the participants at the seminar, focusing primarily on the ways to conduct business in Guyana.
As to the overall aim of the programme, the Tourism Minister said: “We hope that people coming from overseas will be able to meet their counterparts and create links, not only for GuyExpo but after, they can go into joint ventures. They (investors) can come in with the capital and we have the skills here and the materials, so that they can come together and go big time. That is what GuyExpo is all about.”
Overseas contingents from at least nine countries are anticipated to arrive for GuyExpo 2011, with the biggest expected to come from Suriname and Brazil, he revealed.
In addition, Prashad noted that Tourism Ministry representatives have also been conducting a series of meetings with the exhibitors of this year’s show, in an effort to ensure that they utilise the best possible strategies to garner the best results.
He stated: “We are training them how to best exhibit their products. You can have the nicest goods of the highest quality, if you don’t know how to exhibit and display you won’t attract any attention. This is another strategy on which we are working.”
Minister Prashad reiterated that the concept behind GuyExpo 2011, being hosted under the theme ‘Enhancing Growth through Competitiveness’, is to provide a platform for networking and establishing contacts among local and international business people.