The Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce (GBCC) in conjunction with the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) announced yesterday the start of the 2006 Business Festivals – a showcasing of local merchants that will run over the course of four months.
Slated for the last Saturday of each month beginning August 26 to November 25, retailers will display new items and goods to the community in the parking lot of the former Columbus Theatre.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. merchants will feature incentive prices that include hand-out promotional materials and one-on-one talk with potential customers.
Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce President Dr. Doswell Coakley said that the festival is meant to produce innovative concepts for the Grand Bahama economy.
“The intent of this festival is to find creative ways to help stimulate the economy of Grand Bahama and to aid the efforts of business persons in the community,” he said. “Schools will be open in September and many of the merchants have items that they wish to move at a discount price which will aid the parents of the students in the back to school programme.”
Coakley said that the business fair will deepen the relationships between merchants, BAIC and the community.
He added that the Chamber of Commerce will be beneficiary in three ways as a result of such relationships.
“There are three benefits. One is for the Chamber of Commerce to prosper its interests for its members,” he revealed.
“Secondly, the members which include business community leaders. They will benefit because they will make known their goods at preferred rates.”
The president said that parents of students will be the third party to feel the advantage of the festival as they will have the chance to receive the best bargains.
Extending gratitude to officials of BAIC, Coakley said that it is because of the initiatives of the Industrial Corporation that commerce and the festival can elevate on another level.
“What we are doing is heralding a new era for the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce, small business persons and entrepreneurs because it is a holistic approach to development,” he said.
“What we are trying to do is to encourage persons to become entrepreneurs and see that despite the current lull in the economy, we are trying to spirit the opportunities.
“We are on a dawn of a new era because we have always felt that Grand Bahama has many opportunities that many people do not see.”
Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation Assistant General Manager Rudy Sawyer said that the business festival examines the pulse of businesses in the community.
“It would be a worthwhile effort to get together as business leaders and stimulate the merchant’s support, bringing them together with buyers in a festival atmosphere,” he said. “We are trying to build an exciting environment that would also bring profit to those struggling as well as those who are already successful.”
Recognizing the accomplishments of the past summer crafting programme by BAIC, Sawyer believed that such successes can flow in the life stream of the business festival.
“The craft programme had allowed us to create a new fashion initiative that is already catching on to the world,” he explained.
“It has afforded us to display and vendor those very areas in the festival and showcase the talents of our local business persons.”
Aside from the chamber of commerce and the BAIC, officials of the Retired Persons Association (RPA) will also be patrons of the festival.
President of RPA, Agatha Beckles will spearhead the contributions of the festival which is expected to showcase 40 to 45 merchants.
By TAMARA DELANEY, Freeport News Reporter
