GUYEXPO fully booked, 75,000 visitors expected
Nadir pledges adequate security
Stabroek News
September 11, 2002
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manzoor Nadir, assured exhibitors on Monday that security will not be compromised at the fully-booked GUYEXPO 2002.
Nadir was addressing prospective exhibitors at GUYEXPO at a one-day seminar organised by the GUYEXPO secretariat. He said the police will be out in force and two private security firms have been contracted for the event. Meanwhile, the Boy Scouts Association of Guyana will provide security for cars, and patrons will be asked to pay a fee of $100, the proceeds of which will go towards the Annual Scouts Jamboree.
Nadir noted that while there are a few government agencies being represented, the exhibition is for the private sector and he was encouraged that the business community has "taken the bull by the horns," and has solidly booked the exhibition site. One hundred and seventy-five 8 by 8 ft booth spaces in the main auditorium have been sold, including two stages.
A Government Information Agency (GINA) release said, to date, 20,000 square feet of exhibition space has been sold in the two auditoriums, while over $1.2M has been spent in the restoration of the electrical system including the fans and outlets.
According to the release, the minister projected that 75,000 visitors will flock to the four-day Sophia event, set for September 26-29, and he warned exhibitors to have ample supplies of samples and `giveaways.' Exhibitors will be able to start setting up booths from September 16.
Work at the exhibition site is presently moving apace and the minister said six contractors are working along with 60-plus employees to ensure that all facilities are in place.
Nadir urged entrepreneurs to make better use of regional and local organisations that can help them in promoting their goods.
He said regional governments pay a lot for businesses to become members of organisations such as Caribbean Export, but then the companies fail to make full use of them.
The minister disclosed that over the past five years Caribbean Export has provided US$1M in support for the local private sector for business ventures, most of which are in the manufacturing and service sectors. He also pointed to several local organisations that provide support including the Guyana Training Agency Project, Guyana Voluntary Consultancy Project, the Caribbean Export Promotion Council (CEPC) and the Linden Economic Advance Project (LEAP).
These agencies, he said, will be at GUYEXPO to give the exhibitors the opportunity to know what support is available to them.