Dr. Dana Morris (2nd left), VP of Planning and Corporate Development at Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and National Coordinator for Expo Shanghai, stand with the national representatives in the Brand Jamaica Booth, at the start of World Expo 2010 Shanghai, which runs from May 1 to October 31. The representatives are, from left, Nelissa Hines (JAMPRO), Adrian Harrison (Jamaica Tourist Board), Gene Hylton (JAMPRO) and Dahlia Sterling (Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce).

Jamaica joined 191 countries in celebrating the start of World Expo 2010 Shanghai on April 30 at a lavish opening ceremony staged with the spectacular fanfare and pageantry befitting the largest Expo in history.

Months of careful planning and preparation culminated in this grand occasion, which signals the start of a six-month campaign to promote Jamaica's attractive tourism product, investment and trade opportunities, as well as the island’s rich culture. Dr. Dana Morris, VP of Planning and Corporate Development at Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and National Coordinator for Expo Shanghai, Joy Walcott, Brand Communication Specialist at JAMPRO, Gene Hylton (team leader) and Nelissa Hines, also from JAMPRO, Adrian Harrison from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and Dahlia Sterling from the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC), constituted the Jamaican team on the ground. The latter four will keep the country’s flag flying high in Shanghai for the next three months, while Dr. Morris and Walcott will return to the island.

On Saturday, May 1, Jamaica hosted a special ceremony to mark the opening of the Brand Jamaica Booth, which is located in the CARICOM Pavilion. A wide range of export products and services from over 20 local exporters are being showcased in the booth. The products, which are labelled in Mandarin and available for sale at the Expo, include spices, condiments, rum, beer, coffee, herbal tea, fortified wines, apparel, books and art and craft.

The design of the Brand Jamaica Booth, which is inspired by the theme “Bold Energy”, captures the culture, creativity, intrigue, excitement and growing business sophistication associated with Jamaica. The walls are covered with larger-than-life images of scenic locations and the Jamaican people, and photos of reggae legend Bob Marley and Olympic Sprint Champion Usain Bolt are also prominently displayed.

The booth contains a Trade and Investment area, a business meeting room and culture section. The latter area contains an art gallery and music room, which bears the name “From Mento to Dancehall”.

Through the assistance of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JARIA), musical entertainment in the booth will be provided by Kurfew Band and songstress Keisha Patterson. 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.

Sancia Bennett Templer, President of JAMPRO, indicated that Jamaica’s participation in the Expo will serve to build on the visit of a high-level Jamaica delegation to China in February of this year. In this regard, the agency plans to organise 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.

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. As its overarching objective, Jamaica will seek to use the Expo to effectively position itself as the hub of the region for culture, trade and investment.