Trinidad expo was worthwhile - businesses say
Stabroek News
June 12, 2004
Businesses which participated in the Guyana Trade and Investment Exposition in Trinidad last weekend have come away pleased.
Business representatives who attended a press conference at the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (Red House), High Street, Kingston yesterday, made positive comments about the event.
The Guyana Trade and Investment Expo was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from June 4-6.
Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) Geoff DaSilva called the show a success for Guyana, while adding that the upcoming one in Toronto, Canada would be the last such exhibition for the year.
He said groups of businessmen would be organising their own trips to various countries such as China and Cuba in the latter half of this year.
Though reluctant to reveal the amount of business generated, representatives at the press conference said the Trinidadians were surprised at the range and quality of products produced by Guyanese. They said sales were good, quite a few orders were taken and contacts established at the trade fair.
One of the challenges was the absence of credit-card or ATM facilities.
The venue of the expo was not in close proximity to ATM machines and therefore, one of the business representatives said, the level of sales was not as good as they could have been.
Some of the companies at the conference yesterday were Grace Craft, Supra International, Edward B. Beharry and Co Ltd, Correia's Jewellery, Rainforest Pottery, Banks DIH, Roraima Airways, the New Guyana Marketing Corporation, Mariska's Designs, Guyana Furniture Manufacturing Ltd, the Guyana Tourism Authority, Bell Establish-ment, Farley's Art and Craft, Tandy's Manufacturing Enterprise, and Food King.