THE stage is set for the 10th anniversary of Guyana’s Wedding Expo which opens on Friday at the Duke Lodge, Duke Street, Kingston, organisers have said.

The event opens at 17:00hrs and this year’s entry to the expo is free of cost to the public who will be afforded the opportunity to view the exhibits of more than 40 companies and artisans. The expo will ‘kick off’ with a formal opening ceremony which will feature remarks by key personalities as well as a display of Guyanese culture, including a parade of wedding fashion representing Guyana’s six ethnic groups, tassa drumming, steel pan music and more.

Resident Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Guyana, Ms. Sophie Makonnen will be the keynote speaker. Her address is expected to highlight the importance of wedding destination tourism and its positive impact on a nation’s economy, especially through the provision of relevant services provided by artisans and small businesses, many of which are owned and operated by women.

Also listed to speak at the opening are Mr. Eddy Boyer, Chairman of the Private Sector Commission of Guyana; Mr. Donald Sinclair, Guyana’s Director General of Tourism; and Capt. Gerry Gouveia, Chief Executive Officer of the Roraima Group, organizers of the event.
Expo 2018, billed for March 23-25, will showcase products and services offered for weddings by Guyanese businesses, especially artisans such as dressmakers, jewellers, cake makers, and tailors as well as other service providers such as musicians, photographers, make-up artists and limousine services. This year will see the participation of over 40 exhibitors in addition to the wedding ceremony of, and reception for, the winning couple of the ‘Race to the Altar’ competition. The wedding ceremony and reception will be on Saturday afternoon.

“It is with a proud feeling of achievement that we at the Roraima Group of Companies welcome our exhibitors, sponsors and the general public to this milestone 10th anniversary Wedding Expo. I am particularly elated by the success stories that have emerged over the past 10 years for small artisans and entrepreneurs as a result of their participation in Wedding Expo. There are new young artisans now springing up all over Guyana who deserve the opportunities which were afforded those who came before them. We must not fail these emerging entrepreneurs,” Gouveia stressed. The expo will be open to the general public from 5 pm on Friday, March 23 and from 2pm to 11 pm on Saturday, March 24th and Sunday, March 25th.