Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
At Left: Luis and Natazha Armes perform the Peruvian dance 'Marinera' at The Consular Corps of Jamaica's official opening ceremony of the International Trade Expo 2005, held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston on Sunday. At Right: Honorary Consul of Guyana, Indera Persaud (left), shows some of her country's artwork to K.D. Knight (centre), Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, and William Clarke, president and CEO of the Bank of Nova Scotia. - PHOTOS BY WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
From clothes to cutlery, and even coffee, everything was available at International Trade Expo at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel this week.
THE THREE-DAY expo organised by the Consular Corps of Jamaica drew thousands between Sunday to Tuesday. Booths from 40 countries were on display. South American neighbours Colombia, Venezuela as well as Botswana from the African contingent were among the new presenters this year. Guests to the ballroom were greeted with a cultural showcase of items from the various nations. The Brazilian coffee was a big hit from opening night.
On opening night, William Clarke, president and CEO of Scotiabank, major sponsors of the expo, re-emphasised his company's faith in the expo. While admitting that we live in an age of rapid information transfer, "nothing is as effective as direct human contact."
OPPORTUNITY FOR CREATIVITY
Keynote speaker, K.D. Knight, Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, saw the expo as a real opportunity to use ingenuity to create world class products. He lamented the fact that many Jamaican businesses are not able to grasp the opportunities presented by globalisation. He urged the need for an environment where local firms can compete internationally, refining our skills in all areas of business including design, delivery time and innovation.
Among the guests were Chris Issa and Kimberly Mais-Issa; Ecuadorian Consul Clelia Barreto de Hunter; Sonia Jones; Russian Ambassador Igor Lebedev and wife, Olga; Nigerian High Commissioner Dupe Akintola; Costa Rican Ambassador Joycelyn Sawyers-Royale; Brazilian Ambassador Cezar Amaral; German Ambassador Volker Schlegel; Spanish Ambassador Jesus Silva and wife, Sara; Chris Issa and wife, Zein; Canadian High Commissioner Claudio Valle; Venezuelan Ambassador Noel Martinez; Madai and Marcelo Hernandez and Luz Escobar.
