The annual Barbados Manufacturers? Exhibition (BMEX) took place between Friday June 7th and Monday June 10th, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre at Two Mile Hill. The theme for the 2019 event was ?The Rebirth of Pride and Industry?.

Considered to be the premier exhibition for the manufacturing industry, BMEX aims to provide opportunities for both local and regional manufacturers to display and promote their products, while increasing business and consumer awareness in the local, regional and international market.

Speaking shortly after the ribbon was cut, declaring the event open, Shardae Boyce, Executive Director of the Barbados Manufacturers? Association (BMA) told the media that the event had welcomed over 200 exhibitors, and promised to be an exciting affair. It certainly lived up to that promise, with approximately eighteen thousand attendees exploring the Firefly Creative Village, Home Expo and Car Show, participating in panel discussions, and soaking up the entertainment, in the form of a live band, fashion show, and mixologists.

This year, the first cohort of the Caribbean Export Development Agency?s WE-Xport (Women Empowered through Export) programme was invited to participate in BMEX, which coincided with the official closing ceremony of WE-Xport. Over the last fifteen months, the programme has provided support to 20 female entrepreneurs from across the region, in the areas of finance, business coaching, technical assistance, market access, and advocacy. BMEX represented the last in a series of trade shows that the firms attended, including events in Trinidad, France and Belgium.