In a Post-Expo Jamaica fact sheet presented to the Jamaica Observer by the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (Jampro), it was highlighted that for the first time since Expo Jamaica’s conception, it had seen buyers attending from Poland, Switzerland, Malaysia, China and Guatemala.

It is unclear at this point the products and quantity purchased by representatives of the countries. However, Jampro was quick to add that the expo had at least 10 online retailers among the 431 buyers in attendance.

What’s more, another 40 of those buyers were representatives from 18 hotels across Jamaica.

Expo Jamaica is a biennial event aimed at showcasing the very best of Jamaican-made products to local and international consumers. It is jointly staged by the Jamaica Exporters’ Association and the Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association (JMA). Jampro also provides support for the event.

Executive director of the JMA, Imega Breese McNab, in a recent interview with the Caribbean Business Report, labelled the 45th event staging one of the most successful the organisers have seen, following the addition of 90 booth spaces and the expansion to include the National Indoor Sports Centre.

Of the 431 buyers that participated in Expo Jamaica 2016, 58 per cent were local buyers and the remaining 42 per cent international. Of the 177 international buyers, 49 per cent were from the United States, 26 per cent Caribbean, and 10 per cent from Canada. A total of 23 countries were represented.

“We have reports for orders from China, The Bahamas and the USA for containers. Aside from that, a number of the exhibitors have indicated that they were able to recover the cost of being at this show over the four days,” Breese McNab previously told the Caribbean Business Report.

The rebranded Expo Jamaica has grown into a model platform to showcase the very best of Jamaican-made products, while supporting industries in job creation, the earning of foreign exchange, intra-regional trade, building new trade networks and routes into global export markets while reinforcing the strength of Brand Jamaica since the initiative started in 1971.

This year, Expo Jamaica showcased several products in the manufacturing, agriculture, tourism and services industries. The expansion of booth spaces was in an effort to meet the growing number of exhibitors in printing, packaging and labelling, construction, IT and software solutions.