All hail GUYEXPO 2006!
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
November 6, 2006
This year’s GUYEXPO has been hailed as yet another success and officials have said the test as to whether Guyana has the capacity to successfully host World Cup Cricket was passed, as the trade show was used as a “dry run” for the staging of World Cup matches here.
GUYEXPO 2006 is indeed a testimony to the ability of Guyanese to organise major events.
So the organisers of the trade show must be applauded for a job well done, as there were no reports of any serious mishaps or ugly incidents.
One must also bear in mind that the time to organise the event was encroached upon because of general elections held in August.
However, the primary focus of whether GUYEXPO is helping to create more business for our local entrepreneurs needs be kept on the front burner.
In this respect, the organising committee said questionnaires will be prepared for such an assessment and it will be interesting to see what would be the findings of the survey.
One of the concerns has been whether the entertainment aspect of the trade show is taking precedence over the business and the commercial components, which constitute the focal point of the exposition after all.
Another issue which should be addressed is whether the present Sophia Exhibition Centre has outgrown its capacity to host the event, since every year the crowd keeps growing, and unmanageable congestion has become a growing concern.
While there have not been any reported incidents, congestion is the breeding ground for confusion, chaos and criminal activities. And in times of emergency, could prove disastrous and fatal.
The organisers have got to start thinking now on how to address this problem, and not wait until something disastrous happens, as we Guyanese are wont to do.
A more spacious location must be found for any future GUYEXPO, or the present site could be enlarged as there are some state lands contiguous to the GUYEXPO area.
And what about having the exposition once every two years?
It does seem that some local businesses, especially the smaller once, are having some difficulty in attending the trade show every year.