Nadir blames hooligans, rain and poor co-ordination for GuyExpo crush
-but trade fair was 'successful by all measures'
Business October 8, 2004
Stabroek News
October 8, 2004
Much has been said and written, good and bad, about GuyExpo 2K4. This week we decided to ask Minister of Trade, Tourism and Industry Manzoor Nadir directly about how he felt the trade fair went and what organisers have learnt.
Stabroek Business: What is your overall impression of GuyExpo and has this been a profitable exercise?
Minister Nadir: GuyExpo 2K4 was in my estimation a very successful event. It had five objectives: to attract the largest amount of exhibitors ever; to give maximum consumer exposure to companies; to attract overseas exhibitors, buyers and investors; to provide the best of our food & beverage and Guyanese entertainment; and to provide for the convenience and comfort for exhibitors and patrons.
Some 210 exhibitors and franchise holders participated; paid attendance was 54,000 adults, 14,000 children (older ones alone paid). 15,000 school children attended. Paid attendance was 30,000 more than 2002.
From overseas the participation included exhibitors from Barbados (4), Canada (1), Jamaica (1) Brazil (1)and buyers, investors and overseas visitors comprising Brazil (60), St. Lucia (14), Trinidad & Tobago (6), Barbados (10), Canada (18), Antigua (1), London (1), Miami (Meditron supplier), USA (200 plus), Universal Airlines reported that 238 persons took advantage of the special GuyExpo offer. Go-Invest reported that the investment seminar was the best attended since we started in 1995. We expanded parking to accommodate 500 exhibitors and created over 800 public parking spaces. We installed over 80 street lamps in the compound, over 120 fans, repaired 19 street lights on Garnett and Duncan Streets and Eastern Highway, prepared a food court to seat over 400 persons and provided a waiter service, increased ticket sellers from four to eight and provided a drive in service for people in vehicles.
SB: Were you satisfied with the amount of local input into GuyExpo? Some persons noticed that there were quite a few companies selling imported items including the cell phone providers. Are you comfortable that the local manufacturers got a look in and were given good spots?
MN: GuyExpo is expanded to include the commerce sector. Local input was predominant. Local companies got the prime spots. All the annex was dominated by local products, the main auditorium had the local producers in the front and the IT sector at the back. The international pavilion had the international exhibitors in front and they paid eight times more than the locals.
SB: Did you meet many overseas investors/ buyers and do you know whether the show has resulted in tangible orders?
MN: Yes, yes
SB: Obviously crowd control was a problem on Saturday night. What was the cause in your mind for what might have become a serious situation?
MN: We handled up to 17,000 paid persons in 2002 and there was not this problem. We knew that there would be a larger crowd. We estimated a 50% increase that was why we doubled the ticket sellers and built parking.
SB: What went wrong?
MN: First the rains all week soaked the parking area which we were unable to use on Saturday and only in a limited way on Sunday. In addition the exhibitors' parking was also limited.
Second, arrangements for traffic to flow from Sheriff Street to Garnett to Eastern Highway to Duncan were not observed and traffic was two-way along all these streets.
Third, scalpers and their associates clogged the ticket booths and the entrance. I am sure that there was organised chaos to benefit a few.
Fourth, while we increased the ticket sellers from four to eight we did not increase the ticket collectors from two. This was a fundamental flaw.
Our best laid out plans fell victim to the elements, hooligans and lack of co-ordination with executors.
SB: When did you find out about it and what did you do because it seems there was similar confusion on Sunday night?
MN: When there was the report of pressure at the gates the decision was for us to open the gates and let the people in. No similar condition existed on Sunday.
Organisers were at the drawing board immediately on Saturday. At 9am on Sunday a meeting among the Prime Minister (Acting Home Affairs Minister) the Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner Bumbury and the GuyExpo organisers was held. The arrangements were reviewed and the commissioner himself waited till 2 pm to see the arrangements executed.
On Sunday the turnout was overwhelming. By 7.30pm we were advising people via the media that we were sold out. Patrons kept coming. All hands were on deck. I personally was letting people by the hundreds in free to take the pressure off the main gate and also letting people into the compound to park to ease congestion. By 9.15pm we had cleared the crowd. Over 26,000 tickets were sold. 9000 more than the 2002 peak and 10,000 more than the Saturday evening.
These new arrangements worked. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we had 5,500, 6000 and 10,000 paid patrons respectively and all had really good experiences.
SB: Is any of the criticism valid and do you feel responsible for some of the mistakes?
MN: Some of the criticisms levelled were valid. For crowds that size we cannot sell tickets and collect it at the same point. We have to pre-sell tickets and we have to limit the amount of persons per day. The site can hold about 12,000 to 15,000 per day.
SB: Parking was said to be inadequate as well as the traffic flow around the area. How can this and other logistical problems be rectified and is the Sophia site the right spot for such a big show?
MN: Parking was adequate but the rain caused it to be unavailable. The National Exhibition Centre is adequate and we have improved the infrastructure.
SB: How are you assessing the exhibitors' satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the fair?
MN: The vast majority of exhibitors were very pleased with GuyExpo 2k4. Most spoke of the place being too crowded on Saturday and Sunday. They all welcomed the crowds from Monday to Wednesday. They also have called for specific shows to complement GuyExpo. The furniture and home builders have
asked for a home and garden show in November. There will be detractors for whatever reason and we tried to bend backwards to meet all exhibitors.
SB: What are your initial impressions of their impressions?
MN: Evaluations were conducted one on one with exhibitors and we had an interactive evaluation with the furniture sector. They had very good suggestions and we will implement them.
SB: There is some suggestion that GuyExpo should be about trade whereas it was at times a lot like a country fete. The noise and crush of people was at times not conducive to doing business or for talking with vendors about the exhibits. There was also the issue of heat in some areas.
MN: GuyExpo is about bringing the market to the products. There is great value to exhibitors, be it in the form of promotion or sales. That is why participation was at a record level.
Heat was a problem. Our efforts to air condition the international pavilion and to put more fans in the other halls failed. We have to move to have air conditioned halls in the future.
SB: How will you take these considerations into account when planning future events?
MN: We have already taken a lot of the suggestions on board. Look out for us in 2006 under the theme "Fours and Sixes" - we scored a 4 in 2K4 and will strike a six in 2006.