ST JAMES, Jamaica — President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), Howard Mitchell, says confidence within the business community is at a level that he has not seen in a very long time.

Delivering the keynote address at the Jamaica International Exhibition (JIE) Business Breakfast at the S Hotel in Montego Bay, St James, on Tuesday, he said it is against this backdrop that the vision behind the hosting of an international trade show by the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association (JMEA) is nothing short of a brilliant move.

Mitchell said that while the hosting of an exhibition is always risky business, “the hosting of an exhibition and inviting foreigners is even more risky”.

“It requires confidence in your products and a great dedication to excellence. However, in the case of this biennial Jamaica International Exhibition, now in its second staging, both of those qualities are here in abundance,” he added.

The PSOJ president said that Jamaica is also enjoying a level of popularity regionally and globally, where in moving around the Caribbean, “we are talked about and congratulated every time I speak to my counterparts”.

“I am sure that several overseas visitors will come to this show just out of curiosity to see if the good things that they hear are true,” he said.

 Mitchell said that this year there will be a record number of 80 exhibitors with a wide range of products, and that the event is attracting close to 150 buyers from over 12 countries.

He is predicting that this year’s exhibition will be “the biggest and best yet” and “I bring with me, today, the best wishes and full support of the PSOJ” along with a personal commitment “to help you promote it anywhere and anytime I get the chance”.

“The JIE is a biennial multi-sectoral trade show which provides a global marketplace for our best products and an excellent opportunity for business to business exchanges and for enhancement of export and import opportunities with Jamaica’s global trading partners,” he said.

“It is being held in the jewel of the Caribbean… Montego Bay… which has a number of advantages… aside from its beauty and excellent geographical location,” Mitchell said.

The president said that the hotel trade in Jamaica is worth $45 billion in manufactured goods, and “we hope to see their buyers and procurement officers” out in record numbers for this important trade show.

He added that nowadays,  the economy of Montego Bay has been matching Kingston in size and energy, noting that this exhibition “will show both the western region and the world the wonderful products made right here in Jamaica”.