JBDC kicks off Small Business Expo
THE fifth Small Business Exposition was launched on Wednesday by the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC).
The expo, which is aimed at providing new information and networking and development opportunities for micro, small and medium-sized (MSME) businesses, will be held under the theme “Inside the Entrepreneurial Mind: From Ideas to Reality.”
The Small Business Expo will provide a meeting place where people can get information on the services offered by participating organisations and the JBDC, said Harold Davis, its president. Additionally, businesses will meet with companies that provide support services to MSMEs and get advice on ways to make them more competitive.
The expo will assist businesses in several ways, Davis said. In addition to providing information that’s relevant to small businesses, participating companies can network, attend workshops that are planned around market needs and promote their goods and services to potential buyers.
The workshops, Davis said, will focus on planning and preparing for export, financing and investment options for small businesses and energy management.
Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Anthony Hylton was also present at the launch held at the JBDC’s Marcus Garvey Drive headquarters.
Entrepreneurship and innovation are the engines of growth, Hylton said, noting that the expo is further demonstration of the ministry’s commitment to developing an environment that is fit for business.
Thirty-four exhibitors have signed on for the May 17 expo that will be held at the Wyndham Kingston hotel.
Among the organisations registered to display their offerings are Scotiabank Jamaica, the Scientific Research Council, the Bureau of Standards, JAMPRO, and main sponsor, the Jamaica Yellow Pages.
The response has been overwhelming, said Valerie Veira, the JBDC’s CEO. The booths were all booked long before the launch, she said, adding that the expo, and the anticipation surrounding it has grown each year.
The Small Business Expo has attracted over 6,000 people over the last four years.
The JBDC was established to help local companies providing them with technical assistance including advice and business support services.
