Caribbean Home and Garden Expo’s 3rd edition like its predecessors continues to mark the annual trade show as a meeting place for professionals and private sector interested in construction and home design. The three day event which ended on Sunday evening with a cocktail party and awards ceremony at La Charolais restaurant hosted more than 70 businesses from Saint Martin/Sint Maarten and the Caribbean.
Spokesperson for INSCO (the group that organises the event) Bernadette Davis said that group was pleased not only with the participation of the exhibitors and visitors alike but with the number and quality of contracts and contacts that had been made on the trade floor.
Once again this year Puerto had the biggest delegation with a total of 8 booths and 27 staff members who were on the Expo or doing business to business contacts around the island. Other delegations from Anguilla, St. Vincent, Guadeloupe, Martinique and the OECS countries also took advantage of the opportunities to make business contacts. "We are always honoured and humbled by the fact that these companies spend the huge sums that they do to come to Saint Martin to do business, "Davis said." It is humbling because when you think of the trust that is placed in INSCO to provide the venue and structure that allows them to work it means that we have built credibility with these people. What we want to get across is that it is not just INSCO but the Saint Martin destination as well that is seen as a place where they can do business and most of all find business to do. We have to thank the Dutchside department of tourism for understanding the importance of establishing Sint Maarten as a destination for business travel. Because of their funding at the end of last year we were able to do much of our down island promotion and this helped not only to bring businesses here but also consumers from the neighbouring islands. They and our other sponsors such as PJD2 have made it possible to continue to put this Expo together."
According to Davis, for the last three years the Expo has been the venue used by some emerging businesses from both sides to launch themselves. It has also been the venue that has provided small business with a chance to grow. She said that "One of the local businesses that have been with us for the last two years did not come back this year because they say that they have more business than they can handle. Among their contracts is to build more than 60 wooden bungalows on an island in the region. When you see that kind of success you want to cheer but we want it to go even further and translate into jobs for our young people and we want to see our local businesses get more opportunities like that."
At the awards ceremony Business Technology and Domotique Antilles shared the Most Innovative product award. Each of them received a 50% discount towards their booth at next years Expo. The Best Artistic Presentation and a 40% discount on booth space for 2009 was awarded to GAIA Clay and Glass Art for her fantastic pottery and glass pieces. Christ’ile and East Caribbean Metals were both given awards of appreciation that entitles both companies to discounts of 30% on their exhibit spaces for next year. The People’s Choice Award that is rewarded with a free booth on next year’s expo was won by AFRICANYA.