Trade Expo draws 58 businesses

Organisers of the annual CCT Buy BVI Trade Expo took this year’s event to the next level — literally and figuratively.

Along with opening up the second level of the Multi-purpose Sports Complex to make more room for the dozens of vendors, the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association — which hosts the event — also introduced a seminar offering aspiring entrepreneurs advice on how to market, finance and grow their businesses.

In response to a survey conducted by the BVICCHA, the expo was also reduced from three to two days, and there was less entertainment to put more focus on the business owners, said BVICCHA staffer Avril Alexander.

Ms. Alexander said the changes and new features were well received and will likely be included in next year’s expo as well.

58 businesses

Of the 58 businesses that operated booths on Saturday and Sunday, six were sponsored by organisations that aim to promote small- and medium-sized businesses.

The European Union-sponsored Caribbean Overseas Small and Medium Enterprises programme sponsored four of them, and the eCamps Kidpreneur Programme sponsored the other two.

COSME Executive Project Assistant Richard Gill said the COSME-sponsored businesses were chosen from the participants of an entrepreneurship-training programme the organisation conducted in February.

Mr. Gill said COSME selected businesses that “are at a point in their development where they just need an extra push.”

Ms. Alexander said the support of sponsoring organisations helps in promoting small businesses.

New products

While some of the fledgling enterprises were getting their first public exposure, some established businesses were showing off new products.

At the Digicel booth, the company’s pre-sales and implementation manager Swain Henry was letting people try out Samsung’s Gear Virtual Reality headset.

“What the headset does is when you turn your head, it’s positioning you in the video, so you’re seeing in real 3D,” Mr. Henry said.

Though Digicel has offered the product for “quite some time,” many people tried it for the first time at the expo, he added.

Another business, BVI GPS, also introduced a new product at the event.

BVI GPS owner Wesley Potter said his company initially was selling physical GPS devices, but it is now offering its services via a mobile application.

Ms. Alexander said the Trade Expo helps boost the territory’s economic prosperity.

“We’re creating the future of the BVI,” she said.

{fcomment}