Georgetown: Business and Investment Minister Dominic Gaskin said he can neither confirm nor deny that there will be a GuyExpo for the year 2015.
Gaskin stated that discussions were being held within the Ministry about GuyExpo 2015 and as soon as those discussions were concluded, presumably at the end of July, Guyanese will know whether or not the trade fair will take place this year. He mentioned that if there is a GuyExpo 2015, various changes have to be made to bring this event back to what it was truly meant to be.
Minister Gaskin shared that he would like the focus of the event to be the promotion of Guyanese businesses and not a crowd of foreigners making the works of Guyanese appear inferior. The Business Minister mentioned that the Government would like to be sure that if it chose to carry on this event, that the model and format that used was aligned with its vision. He said he believed that GuyExpo was designed to be a trade fair to promote Guyanese businesses and the Government of Guyana would like to ensure that the priorities of the grand event were so aligned. He noted that he is aware that many businesses, both large and small, do rely on GuyExpo as a money-making venture and it was, therefore, important to them. Gaskin added that if the event was only seen as a money-making venture or an entertainment event, while he has no problem with money making or entertainment, these were not the priorities of the Business Ministry.
GuyExpo began in Guyana in 1995 and has since evolved, with 2015 marking 20 years of the premier event in Guyana. It began as an activity that attracted almost 200 exhibitors and was now Guyana’s biggest trade fair with almost 500 local and international businesses participating yearly with the chance to display their goods and services. GuyExpo became an annual event in 2004 under the Chairmanship of Keith Burrowes. It is now recognised as the longest sustained exhibition in the Caribbean.
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