From left: Patrick Wong, Chairman of the National Steering Committee for World Expo 2010 Shanghai, Sancia Bennett Templer, President of Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and the Hon. Karl Samuda, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC), are in good spirits at the press launch of the Brand Jamaica Mission to World Expo 2010 Shanghai on April 21 at the corporate offices of JAMPRO. Jamaica will be among the 190 countries taking part in the Expo, which will run from May 1 to October 31.
The Hon. Karl Samuda, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, and officials from Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), unveiled the country’s promotional plans and business initiatives for World Expo 2010 Shanghai and declared the country’s readiness for the event at a press conference held at the agency's Trafalgar Road offices on April 21.
Jamaica will be among the 190 countries participating in the six-month Expo, which will run from May 1 to October 31. A wide range of export products and services from some 20 local exporters will be showcased in the Brand Jamaica Booth, which will be a part of the CARICOM Pavilion at the Expo. The products, which are labelled in Mandarin and available for sale at the event, include spices, condiments, rum, beer, coffee, herbal tea, fortified wines, apparel, books and art and craft. Minister Samuda noted that the Expo would provide Jamaica with tremendous exposure to China and the world, and emphasised the importance of displaying only products of the highest quality.
“Whatever products we take to China, there must not be the possibility of a.buyer…finding fault with it. The product must be perfect, because for us to make the kind of impression that we need to make about Jamaica, we must be excellent. Nothing else will do," he stated.
Occupying 3,444 sq. ft. of space under the theme “Bold Energy”, the design of the Brand Jamaica Booth captures the culture, creativity, intrigue, excitement and growing business sophistication associated with Jamaica. A key feature in the booth is the “Great Wall of Jamaica”, which is magnificently covered with floor-to-ceiling photographs that capture the natural beauty of Jamaica and its people. Images of reggae legend Bob Marley and Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt will enjoy pride of place in the booth, which also boasts a Trade and Investment area replete with collateral material, as well as a gift shop, meeting room and culture section. The latter area contains an art gallery and music room called “From Mento to Dancehall”.
Ongoing entertainment in the form of live musical performances, dancing demonstrations and other cultural activities will also take place in the Brand Jamaica Booth. CARICOM Day celebrations on July 17 will be among the major events for Jamaica at the showpiece event.
According to Sancia Bennett Templer, President of JAMPRO, Jamaica’s participation in the Expo will build on the visit of a high-level Jamaica delegation to China earlier this year. JAMPRO will be staging an investment/distributor forum, with a view to landing Chinese investments in Jamaica and linking local exporters of niche, value-added products with Chinese distributors. The JAMPRO President also pointed out that Jamaica would be appropriately using technology to conduct text message promotions and deliver live video streaming from the Brand Jamaica Booth.
Three members of the inter-ministerial delegation to the Expo - Gene Hylton (team leader) and Nelissa Hines from JAMPRO and Adrian Harrison from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) - departed for China on April 22. Dahlia Sterling from MIIC is set to join the team in Shanghai on April 30, where she will complete a three-month stint with Hines before both are replaced by Jadesion Swiel from JAMPRO and a representative from the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports for the remaining three months. Two Jamaican students studying in China will also be working in the booth.
Minister Karl Samuda (left), stands with members of the of the inter-ministerial delegation to World Expo 2010 Shanghai at the press launch of the Brand Jamaica Mission to World Expo 2010 Shanghai on April 21 at the Trafalgar Road offices of JAMPRO. The members of the delegation are Nelissa Hines (2nd left) from JAMPRO, Dahlia Sterling (centre) from they Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC), team leader Gene Hylton (2nd right) from JAMPRO and Jadesion Swiel (right), also from JAMPRO.
Dr. Dana Morris, VP of Planning and Corporate Development at JTI/JAMPRO and National Coordinator for Expo Shanghai, and Joy Walcott, Brand Communication Specialist, are scheduled to spend two weeks in Shanghai before the start of the Expo to shore up logistical issues and fine tune Jamaica’s booth arrangement and appearance. Dr. Morris will be representing Jamaica at the grand opening ceremony on April 30.
Seventy million visitors are expected to attend this six-month long event, which is being held in the world’s fastest growing economy under the theme “Better City, Better Life”. According to Dr. Morris, 700,000 persons or one percent of the projected total number of visitors are expected to visit the Brand Jamaica Booth over the 186-day period, at a rate of 3,763 persons a day.
Jamaica's participation in expo is a cross-ministerial effort involving the Ministries of Industry, Investment and Commerce; Youth, Culture and Sports; Tourism; and Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, among others. The country will seek to use the Expo to effectively position itself as the hub of the region for culture, trade and investment.
