DAVIE – Jamaican business owners, their trading partners, and the general public will converge on the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida on May 24th and 25th for the largest Jamaican business event to take place in South Florida.
It is the Jamaican Business Expo 2007, with its intrepid theme “Buy Jamaican – Brand We Love!”
To be hosted by the Jamaica USA Chamber of Commerce (JAUSACC) in partnership with the Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA), the Expo is already attracting a broad cross section of U.S.-based businesses interested in doing business with Jamaica, and with the growing number of Jamaican consumers in Florida and throughout the U.S.
On May 24th and 25th, the Jamaican Business Expo will deliver a broad sampling of Jamaican products, as well as financing, trade and technical assistance information, with globalization strategies to help in the international trading process between U.S.-based and Jamaican-based businesses. The Expo promises to be a great venue for manufacturer/distributor, and buyer/seller partnerships. A mix of small businesses, government, corporate, and even the nonprofit sectors are all gearing up to participate.
“The interest level is high, the momentum is building, and registration is going very well,” said Marie Gill, President of the Jamaica USA Chamber of Commerce. Gill explained that the Jamaican Chamber chose to partner with the Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA), partly in celebration of the JMA’s 60th anniversary, as well as to position the Chamber as a serious partner in the “Brand Jamaica” phenomenon that is becoming quite infectious throughout the Americas, the Caribbean and in the United Kingdom.
“From government, to businesses, to trade and investment organizations, we want everyone to be aware that the Jamaica USA Chamber has an array of expertise within its board and membership, that allows us to act as a primary facilitator of trade, and to be an international liaison for Jamaican businesses wanting to penetrate overseas markets,” she explained.
Registered patrons of the Jamaican Business Expo will be able to arrange appointments to meet one-on-one with potential buyers and vendors/distributors.
Expo browsers can expect to see, touch, sample, and place orders for a wide range of Jamaican brands including: food and beverage; apparel and footwear; furniture, fixtures and home décor; arts and crafts; health and wellness products; pharmaceuticals; packaged aquaculture products; household furnishings and fixtures; tourism destination products; financial, legal and marketing services; telecommunications, and much more.
Local manufacturers, buyers, distributors, retailers, exhibitors and promoters of Jamaican products and services in the U.S. will be joined by a delegation of over 30 in-bound business members of the JMA, led by Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Technology, Energy & Commerce, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, who will provide the keynote and ribbon-cutting at the opening breakfast on Thursday, May 24th.
Other Jamaican service organizations will join the JMA’s in-bound delegation to present the trade and investment services that are available in Jamaica. These include Jamaica Trade & Invest (JTI, formerly JAMPRO), the Jamaica Exporters Association (JEA), and the Jamaican Business Development Center, (JBDC). Major sponsors already include Air Jamaica, Grace Kennedy Foods, People’s Telecom Jamaica Ltd., RealXposure, Inc., D & G J. Wray & Nephew, Ltd., Wisynco Group, Ocho Rios Miami, Sinclair Ceramics, Mavis Bank Coffee Company, Shades of Africa Clothing & Jewelry, Kingston Miami Trading, National Continential Baking Company, SeaFreight Agencies USA, SeaBoard Marine, Antilles Freight, CTI Communications, Jerk Machine, Eastern Financial Florida Credit Union, and National Commercial Bank of Jamaica.
The Expo will culminate in the Jamaica USA Chamber’s Annual Luncheon on May 25th, when the conference will hear from Jamaican-born financial tycoon, Dr. G. Raymond Chang. As the luncheon keynote speaker, Dr. Chang is expected to provide his personal perspectives on business success strategies. Dr. Chang is Chancellor of Ryerson University in Canada, home of the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, with an enrollment of over 64,000.
Luncheon patrons will be treated to globalization perspectives from this successful businessman who took a three-million-dollar company and turned it into what is now CI Financial, an $80 billion empire in Canada.
Registration fees apply to various events during the Jamaican Business Expo and Conference. There will be no charge to browse the expo and visit the exhibitor booths.
For Registration, Sponsorship, Exhibitor Space and Advertising, contact the Jamaica USA Chamber of Commerce at 1.800.730.5581; 305.576.7888; 1.877.528.7222 or email: [email protected]
