Under the theme ‘Foster-ing National Pride, Advancing Economic Progress,’ the 11th edition of the Berbice Exposition and Trade Fair commenced on Friday last amidst much pomp and ceremony. The expo which has become a calendar event in Berbice is being held at the Albion Community Centre Ground on the Corentyne and has seen the participation of over 60 small and medium sized businesses. Some 90 businesses had registered to participate.
Organized by the Cen-tral Corentyne Cham-ber of Commerce (CCCC), the annual event which in the past was held in the month of July was moved to September this year.
A decision which has favoured the organizers, as the event for the first time in several years has benefited from spectacular weather avoiding the usually rainy and soggy conditions which exhibitors and patrons alike had become accustomed to.
Those things aside, this year has seen seasoned exhibitors at the expo shying away from the event, most noticeably absent being the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) that would normally mount a massive exhibit. On the other hand, the expo has attracted new exhibitors particularly those from outside the Berbice region.
Fibre-Tech Industrial Plastics of East Coast Demerara made its first appearance at the expo this year and has quickly become a favourite booth for patrons who are en-thralled by the various furniture and equipment being produced by the company. Meanwhile, JR Building Supplies of Williamsburg, Corentyne, is also a first timer and has quickly become a crowd pleaser.
At the opening ceremony of the expo, President of the CCCC Tajpaul Ajodhea said the expo allows exhibitors to “negotiate a network with companies and establishments as well as showcase their skills, talents and creative works.” This, he explained, is one of the main reasons the chamber hosts the expo annually. It was further mentioned that the event provides the ideal location for exporters, importers, retailers and wholesalers to create linkages as it fuses together a wide cross section of producers. The expo also serves as an opportunity for businesses to offer special packages and launch new products. Not to mention, it provides much craved after entertainment and outing for Berbicians.
Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin, whose ministry was instrumental in giving much needed support to the organizers of the expo, commended the CCCC on the initiative which he said contributes to the economic growth of not only the Berbice region but the country by extension.
According to Gaskin, the expo “presents an opportunity for our small businesses to access a volume of customers that they may not ordinarily en-counter in an entire year of business and this allows them to showcase their products and also to get valuable feedback that can be used to improve those products and services and make them more competitive and of better quality if necessary.”
Gaskin went on to remark that “for the small business that cannot afford to advertise and rely only on word of mouth recommendation to expand their customer base, this is a really important event.” He declared the expo as not just significant, but desirable as well and expressed his pleasure in being able to support Berbice Expo 2015. “Our government will encourage the further development of this event as it looks to encourage economic diversification as well as encourage broader participation in profitable economic activities,” he promised.
Remarks were also made by the Region 6 Chairman David Armogan, Chairman of the Private Sector Commission Major General Norman McLean who was the guest speaker and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who delivered the feature address before officially declaring the 2015 expo open.
As part of the opening ceremony, the CCCC presented certificates, trophies and prizes to the region’s top 2015 National Grade Six Assessment performers.
The expo concludes tomorrow.
