The COVID-19 pandemic drove fear and uncertainty across Jamaica over the past two years, but the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association (JMEA) has proven its resilience by shifting one of the English-speaking Caribbean’s largest trade expos to a successful and completely digital experience in 2021.

JMEA Business Development and Projects Manager Paula Hagley, described as invaluable, the funding  support from the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSME) Unit, to finance the development of a digital platform to facilitate the hosting of Expo Jamaica 2021.

“We began realising that we would have to move online because hosting a live expo was completely out of the question, due to COVID-19,” Hagley disclosed.

The four-day biennial which was last staged in 2018 and was scheduled for 2020, usually features hundreds of Jamaican exhibitors, suppliers, as well as local and overseas buyers, in two days of B2B sessions, followed by two days of public engagement and interaction. 

“On the last two days . . . it is usually packed, very intense, and there’s a lot going on. Of course, given the pandemic that kind of event was not possible,” the JMEA official added.

Determined however, to maintain its commitment to local producers, Hagley said the JMEA wanted to create an outlet for members, especially at a time when the pandemic had threatened the viability of many businesses and undermined the Jamaican economy.

Inspired by sister organisation, the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association’s (TTMA) hosting of its virtual event, Hagley and her team, swiftly began laying the groundwork for Expo Jamaica 2021 as a viable and engaging virtual exposition.

“We decided to forge ahead and reached out to the CDB for funding to build out a platform that would be used to host the event. We worked together with the CDB to develop a proposal which was eventually successful and received full funding of US$57,000 for the platform,” the JMEA senior officer detailed.

Andrea Leslie, who coordinated the event, said with the public exhibition eliminated due to the pandemic, efforts were concentrated on the B2B segment involving virtual sessions between buyers and suppliers.

“We utilised a service provider called TravPRO Mobile. It was one of the simplest platforms in our view. . . There were some members who were reticent to use the technology, some people experienced connectivity issues [but overall, the response was very good],” she disclosed.

The online event attracted global participation with registrants and buyers from North America and the Caribbean, while there were buyers from the United Kingdom, Canada, Bermuda, Antigua, the United States and Jamaica.

Leslie and Hagley assessed the  JMEA’s inaugural virtual expo as a “tremendous success”, creating strong leads for many local companies.

Referencing statistics to support her assessment. Hagley reported the participation of 74 registrants, while some 187 buyers registered and participated in the highly interactive virtual event.

In its review, the secretariat indicated that 147 meeting with buyers were held.  Of those, 85 produced strong leads that will likely result in trade, and 31 were exploratory. In addition, 48 quotes on product quality and pricing were requested.

According to Leslie: “We were able to showcase a number of our brands. The event led to increased sales and awareness, and it showcased the JMEA in a different light, as we provided a first-world platform which also added value to the look and feel of Expo Jamaica in a virtual format.”

Praising the CDB’s MSME Unit for its enthusiastic support of the JMEA project, Hagley highlighted the assistance provided by CDB’s Coordinator of MSME Development Lisa Harding and Operations Officer Zamani Moodie, whom she said worked very closely with the JMEA team on the project which was a completely new venture for the association.

“The bank worked with us to ensure that we perfected our proposal which they supported very early on. One of the things we liked most was that there was no hesitancy on the part of the Bank. They gave us the full amount we needed and enabled our Expo to take place. We have them to thank; they were our biggest sponsor and supporter.”

For Hagley, the successful execution of the virtual Expo Jamaica created a platform for the organisation to make greater use of technology to host other events and to put more members at ease with the use of available communication and technological tools