MONTEGO BAY, St James – Organisers of the annual Jamaica International Beauty Expo (JIBE) are considering a regional focus for the event.

“Interested parties are inviting us to come and meet with their stakeholders and also to explore the possibility of having a beauty and wellness expo in Barbados, something which they would want to call Caribbean International Beauty Expo, and we can also take that throughout the Caribbean,” divulged lead coordinator Suzzette Brown.

“So that is something we are going to be working assiduously towards, and I know all of this will be for the betterment of the region and its people,” she added.

Brown was speaking with the Jamaica Observer after Friday’s opening ceremony for the fourth staging of JIBE, held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

She noted the consistent support the expo has received from Caribbean countries over the years and the presence of a delegation from Barbados showcasing a variety of products at this year’s show. According to Brown, JIBE is now mulling over offers to visit Barbados for exploratory talks about potential business opportunities within the regional beauty industry.

“They might be a small country, but they are a powerful nation. They are bullish about business and about the business of beauty and wellness. In fact, I think they are even more forceful than we are when it comes to this particular industry or sector,” Brown told the Observer.

This year, there were also participants from further afield beyond the borders of Caricom.

“We have persons coming in from Nigeria with fashion and we have persons coming in from Boston, representing Wahl clippers. We have persons coming from El Salvador and from Canada,” said a proud Brown.

And even as JIBE organisers set their sights on regional expansion and global clients, they have made sure not to lose focus of the local market. For the first time since its inception six years ago (COVID-19 caused a two-year hiatus), an expo will be held in Kingston. The venue will be the National Arena and the show will be in October.

“Majority of the exhibitors are from Kingston and we do also have so many persons travelling to Montego Bay from Kingston to attend daily. They are asking for it, so it’s only fair,” Brown explained.

However, she made it clear that this doesn’t mean the event will leave Montego Bay, stressing that it will remain because it’s a product of the western city.

This year’s Montego Bay leg of JIBE ran from Friday, June 23 to Sunday, June 25th. The event was a blend of exhibition booths, networking, competitions, and presentations on a wide range of topics, including personal fitness and wellness, the business of beauty, beauty entrepreneurship, and more.