THE thousands of local products on display at Expo Jamaica, and the warm reception they received, left no doubt about the ability of this small island nation to produce high quality items.

Expo Jamaica 2012 was a feast around innovation, providing 250 local companies with ‘priceless’ exposure to overseas markets.

Booths, manned by eager representatives putting wares and random bits of information about their products into already-filled hands, dominated the National Arena over the four days the event was held.

It was no surprise that the exhibitions with food, drinks and ‘take home’ drew huge crowds.

Jamaica Broilers’ Best Dressed brand had several people returning for seconds and thirds, as samples of their flagship product were given to patrons. They had competition however, as poultry was also being served by others, including Isle Chix, who was giving consumers a chance to sample their smaller, more succulent “Cornish-style hens”. The latter was a big hit among patrons.

J Wray & Nephew’s booth took centre stage, literally, as its lit display of various types of rum drew a lot of attention, even from those too young to enjoy the company’s offerings.

Not to be outdone, Talawah, Red Stripe’s new $100 beer, was put on display alongside its line of new flavoured alcoholic drinks. Similar to a light beer for some, Tallawah’s appeal wasn’t as strong as that of the lime-flavoured beer.

RedBk, the latest alternative directory, was placed next to its formidable competitor, the Jamaica Yellow Pages. It remains to be seen if the two companies can co-exist as well as their booths did.

And if you thought you’ve experienced real luxury, then perhaps an iPad or iPhone-controlled bed can change your mind. It adjusts from bed to chair with the tap of a finger on the touch-sensitive devices. Manufactured by Therapedic Jamaica and operable through LIME-powered applications, they’re pretty pricey if you’re not a consumer of luxury goods, said Therapedic’s marketing director, Aswad Morgan.

Tastee Jamaica, Juici Patties, Lasco, and Boom Energy Drinks were also big crowd-pleasers.

As for the companies that pleased the organisers, carton manufacturer Corrpak Jamaica won for booth with the best “Wow Factor” as its cardboard fish tanks stole the show.