A matter of months shy of its 25th anniversary Stabroek Business has learnt that the widely popular GuyExpo event will not be held this year.
Earlier this week officials of the Sophia-based GuyExpo Secretariat appeared reluctant to be quoted directly on the issue though they insisted that the event, first staged in 1995 and created as a forum for the promotion of both local and foreign products on the Guyana markets will definitely not be held this year.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism Derrick Cummings has since confirmed that this year will not see the staging of GuyExpo. Pressed for a comment on the reason, Cummings would only say that Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin, whose ministry would have responsibility for coordinating the event, is likely to issue a statement “on the GuyExpo issue” at some stage. This newspaper has been informed that the decision not to stage GuyExpo this year is likely linked to another decision to stage a more elaborate event to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Guyana’s independence next year.
Every year GuyExpo attracts thousands of Guyanese from all walks of life to the Sophia Exhibition Centre and while there has always been speculation regarding the event’s impact on either local or intra-regional trade, it has benefited from strong support on account of what is seen as its considerable entertainment value.
Over the years GuyExpo, which is usually staged over an entire weekend, beginning on Friday, has come to be seen as a windfall for small vendors offering mostly items of clothing, local jewellery and craft for sale. Some vendors who this newspaper has previously interviewed expressed disappointment over the news that the event will not be staged this year.
In 2004 GuyExpo was promoted as an annual event for the first time and up until now has been believed to be the most sustained event of its kind in the region.
While GuyExpo has featured representation from business houses in the Caribbean and Asia much of the focus has remained on the promotion of local small and medium sized enterprises. The organizers have insisted that the use of GuyExpo as a vehicle for the creation of opportunities for local small businesses is intended to create room for them to enjoy the levels of exposure necessary for them to attain a minimum level of competitiveness on regional and international markets.