SPOTS in the International Pavilion of GuyExpo 2013 are almost at the point of being sold out and there has been a tremendous demand from both potential exhibitors and vendors to be a part of this annual Trade and Investment Exposition which is held at the Sophia Exhibition site.

Director of Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh recently gave this update to media representatives in the boardroom of the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, South Road, Georgetown.

According to Haralsingh, the fact that the international pavilion is almost sold out attests to the international interest in this event which is slated to be held from the 3rd to the 6th of October, 2013 under the theme: ‘Advancing Productivity through Innovation, Modernisation and Expansion’.

He said that countries that have so far secured spots include the United States, Canada, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and India, and there will also be trade delegations coming from these countries.

GuyExpo has now outgrown its physical space and, as such, Haralsingh said they are currently improvising and looking at creative and innovative ways of allowing more exhibitors to participate.

He pointed out that the activity usually sees in excess of 100,000 persons attending, and while there are usually between 275 – 350 exhibitors, this year they will be looking to have over 400.
He said that small, medium and large businesses are eagerly looking forward to participating in GuyExpo 2013, and this year there will be various seminars and workshops with buyers, foreign investors and exhibitors as well as local exhibitors.

FAMILIARIZATION TOURS

Additionally, the GTA director indicated that there will be tours to various facilities, factories, other manufacturing sites and venues, as well as to major businesses and industries in Guyana as part of a familiarisation process.

According to him, there will be several international artistes performing over the four nights so persons can expect a lot of entertainment in addition to the sales and bargains at GuyExpo.

PRE-SELLING TICKETS
Haralsingh informed that they will also be pre-selling tickets this year in order to ease up the congestion of persons and traffic in the areas leading to the venue, and they are encouraging persons to purchase their tickets before they get to the venue.

He noted that they are on track in terms of organising the event and they are also working with members of the community since they want a clean and safe event.

The GTA director remarked that GuyExpo is an ideal platform for many companies to meet with their customers, to network and to launch products and services.

He pointed out that a lot of businesses started small and have grown to become much larger companies and are now exporting products and services.

According to him, this year’s theme is very important because the event provides a platform to showcase innovation and modernisation in so many of Guyana’s sectors such as Housing and Agriculture.

Haralsingh further stated that this year’s event will showcase and highlight the expansions of the various sectors in Guyana.

NETWORKING

He noted that they are expecting to have quite a number of buyers from all over the world and they believe that this should be one of the key focuses of the event, so that buyers and sellers here can network and negotiate.

The more buyers they can bring in, he said, the more sales the country can generate, noting that interest and investments in Guyana’s tourism product and services is very critical to Guyana’s growth and development. Haralsingh pointed out that they intend to continue through GuyExpo to forge and create these linkages with overseas buyers.

SPECIAL FOCUS SECTORS

The sectors that have been identified for special focus during GuyExpo 2013 are Wood/Timber Processing, Agro- Processing, Arts and Craft and services which include Fashion Designing, Information and Communication Technology, Sports and Clean Energy.

According to the GuyExpo website, the event is Guyana’s largest Trade and Investment Exposition, which began in 1995 and became an annual event in 2004, and it is now the longest sustained exhibition in the Caribbean.

“The GuyExpo Planning Committee and Secretariat under the stewardship of the Honourable Minister Irfaan Ali, M.P., supported by Co-chairman Mr. Derrick Cummings, the planning committee and Guyana Manufacturing Services Association have established a plan of action which will result in GuyExpo 2013 being one of the best ever,” the website states.