THE Sonia Noel Foundation for Creative Arts (SNFCA) in collaboration with the Women’s Association for Sustainable Development (WASD) will launch its fifth annual Women in Business Expo on November 21 along with its annual Style Mission charity show set for November 24,2019, at the Pegasus Hotel.

Guyanese author, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and Founder of the Women in Business Expo, Dr Sonia Noel, stated in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle’s Vantage Point, that many entrepreneurs in Guyana don’t have access to finance to market and advertise their businesses; hence, she came up with the Women in Business initiative.

“Small businesses like myself, we don’t have that budget for advertising because the cash flow is not going to be as big as the other companies. So I’m thinking, I’m not alone, I’m not the only one, I know I’m not the only woman out there who would really like to build their business, get it to the next level,” she stated.

Dr Noel added that she used her foundation, the Sonia Noel Foundation for Creative Arts (SNFCA) to create a platform for female entrepreneurs.
“I said what can [I] do as an individual to help to provide that platform and I used my foundation, the Sonia Noel Foundation for Creative Arts, to provide a platform so that women, even the ones that just have an idea not even an actual product, can have that opportunity,” she stated.

The launch will kick off with a press conference on November 21, following a two-day mini exhibition which will be open free of charge to the public.
The mini exhibition is expected to be a treat for persons looking for unique gifts, home decor and exclusive outfits for the holidays. Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit (GIPEX) will be held around that time in Guyana and it will give visitors the opportunity to shop for local products.

The EXPO, however, will be held on March 22 and 23 of 2019, during Women’s History Month, acknowledging International Women’s Day, which is celebrated earlier in the month.

In addition to the expo, Dr Noel will be hosting the annual charity show ‘Style Mission’ and auction, on November 24, at the Pegasus Hotel, which will raise funds for the victims of the recent Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas, where creative director Richard Young and several designers such as Gem Fraser, Vanda Allicock, Sonia Noel, Robert Young and Dominique La Roche will be present.

A special fashion collection will also be presented by Tare Finz Boutique at the show following an intriguing panel discussion on ‘living with intention,’ which will see several esteemed guest as panelists such as Avia Maria Lindie, Ganesh Singh, Dr Quincy Jones, Jo Ann Forde , author Ediclia Bastardo of Venezuela and Bibi Alli, from NewYork.