100 Exhibitors and Over 150 Buyers for Jamaica International Exhibition

The Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association (JMEA) is gearing up for the staging of the 2019 Jamaica International Exhibition (JIE) from May 30 to June 1, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St. James.

Chairman of the Organising Committee, Brian Pengelly, told JIS News that 100 exhibitors and well over 150 buyers, locally and overseas, have signed up for the three-day event.

“We are expecting to have very good foot traffic to the show. We [have] probably about 80 per cent of Jamaicans as exhibitors, but we have exhibitors coming from the Caribbean, the United States and Canada as well,” he said.

Buyers and suppliers are also expected from the United Kingdom, Europe and China.

The biennial trade show, first staged in 2017, is being hailed as one of the country’s premier international expos aimed at facilitating the promotion and expansion of local markets to a global audience.

It was born out of a need for local suppliers in agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, construction, information technology and business process outsourcing, among others, to explore untapped international markets.

“When we looked at what was going on in Jamaica, we saw that there was really no trade show that was catering to the very broad section of companies that might be interested in not only expanding their business in Jamaica but also looking to export,” Mr. Pengelly told JIS News.

“Also, very importantly, companies abroad were now looking to Jamaica for more business or if they were doing business here, to get even more sales. So we wanted to open it up to the world really to come to Jamaica; we are open for business,” he said.

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), which falls under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, is a major partner in the staging of the JIE.

Acting Vice President for the Sales and Promotion Division at JAMPRO, Ricardo Durrang, said that the event is important in “bringing international and local buyers together with our suppliers of goods and services… to discuss business”.

“So, we are hoping that when all the buyers and suppliers come together, we will be able to do business there,” he noted.

President of the JMEA, Metry Seaga, pointed out that the show will also provide a boon for the resort city of Montego Bay.

“People who would not normally come to Montego Bay are going to come and see the beauty of the place and, hopefully, return as guests,” he noted.

Mr. Seaga hailed JIE as the “premier place to meet, greet and do business”.

“If you are looking to do business in Jamaica or if you are doing business in Jamaica, it is a place to go to see who is interested in linking up with you and doing business and being a part of the equation of how you are going to grow your business,” he added.