GuyExpo 2025 — A Night of Noise, Colour and Opportunity
The GuyExpo 2025 Opening Ceremony
Last night the National Exhibition Centre at Sophia came alive for the opening of GuyExpo 2025, and what a night it was — a celebration equal parts marketplace, cultural showcase and business networking hub. This year’s edition marks the expo’s 30th anniversary and runs from November 13–16 under the theme “Transformation through Entrepreneurship and Innovation.”
From the moment the gates opened the energy was infectious. Families, entrepreneurs and visitors flowed through wide aisles lined with stalls offering everything from handcrafted foods and cosmetics to heavy equipment and tech demonstrations. The organisers clearly redesigned the site layout this year for better traffic flow and to make discovery easier — which paid off: the exhibition felt busy but breathable, with plenty of room to stop, sample and chat. Local media and the larger national papers reported that well over 270 booths were on display, making this the largest GuyExpo ever.
The Evening of - "Buy Guyana"
A strong through-line of the evening was “Buy Guyana” — the expo is leaning hard into promoting local manufacturers and homegrown brands. There’s a visible effort to give artisans, food producers and small-scale manufacturers a prominent platform: a dedicated “food basket” centrepiece celebrates agricultural produce, a revamped Tourism Village spotlights experiences and eco-adventures across the interior, and a new auditorium will host government services and sector talks during the four days. If you love to see local ingenuity on display — packaging upgrades, novel snack lines, natural skincare and Caribbean-flavoured twists on everyday products — GuyExpo delivers.
But GuyExpo isn’t just a consumer fair — it’s a marketplace for deals. Organisers have intentionally added a B2B component this year in collaboration with GO-Invest, including a business-to-business seminar scheduled during the event to foster trade linkages between local firms and regional/international partners. For entrepreneurs who’ve built a great product but need access to distribution, that seminar is the most important room in the house. Conversations on-site had suppliers swapping contacts, retailers scouting local manufacturers to stock, and service providers offering everything from logistics to e-commerce support.
The official opening carried a political and economic tone. President Irfaan Ali delivered remarks that framed the expo as both a showcase of Guyana’s rapid development and as an engine for shared opportunity. In a notable announcement, the President outlined plans for a Guyana Development Bank capitalised at a minimum of US$200 million aimed at increasing access to finance for small and medium enterprises — including features such as zero-collateral, zero-interest lending mechanisms for certain tiers of loans. If implemented as described, that could remove a major constraint for local manufacturers looking to scale.
The official opening carried a political and economic tone. President Irfaan Ali delivered remarks that framed the expo as both a showcase of Guyana’s rapid development and as an engine for shared opportunity. In a notable announcement, the President outlined plans for a Guyana Development Bank capitalised at a minimum of US$200 million aimed at increasing access to finance for small and medium enterprises — including features such as zero-collateral, zero-interest lending mechanisms for certain tiers of loans. If implemented as described, that could remove a major constraint for local manufacturers looking to scale.
Cultural Program
Cultural programming rounded out the night: local bands, dancers and the Masquerade made the evening special and reminded visitors that GuyExpo has always been as much about identity and culture as it is about commerce. Kids’ zones, craft demonstrations and food stalls gave the family contingent plenty to enjoy, while the pavilion lighting, food aroma and live announcers created the classic fair atmosphere that keeps people lingering until late. From colourful costumes to the smell of cook-up and bar-b-cue and jerked meats, the expo feels like a curated taste of Guyana.
For practical-minded visitors there were useful features this year: clearer signage, better parking flow, and a show map that grouped exhibitors by sector (manufacturing, services, tourism, food & beverage, tech). Exhibitors reported brisk interest in product demos and samples, and several booths were offering event-only promotions or bundle deals — a smart move for vendors looking to convert curiosity into sales. If you’re planning to attend over the weekend, bring a shopping bag, cash and a business card — this is an event where both impulse purchases and serious follow-ups happen. What struck me most was the mix of ambition and grassroots hustle. Big corporate stands sat beside micro-enterprise stalls; government delegations and private investors rubbed shoulders with students and families. That mix is precisely what GuyExpo aims to foster: a place where ideas meet capital, where cultural pride meets commercial sense, and where a small soap-maker can meet the distributor who scales their product regionally.
A few moments that stood out:
• The giant food basket installation — a joyful stage piece that also doubles as a visual mission statement about Guyana’s agricultural potential.
• The model house exhibit demonstrating rapid-construction techniques — a practical nod to innovation in housing and construction.
• A tightly packed line-up at the Tourism Village — bright, informative booths selling day trips, river lodges and heritage tours.
If you’re reading this and planning to go: the weekend is still full of opportunities. Friday’s B2B seminar is where the deals get serious; Saturday and Sunday are best for family browsing, food tasting and catching the schedule of performances. Come ready to support local entrepreneurship, sample new products, and — if you’re a business owner — leave with a notebook full of contacts.
To wrap up: GuyExpo 2025 felt like a fitting celebration of 30 years — a place where Guyana’s commercial confidence and cultural pulse come together. Whether you’re an entrepreneur testing a new product, a buyer hunting for authentic Guyanese goods, or a family looking for a lively day out, the expo delivers. And with the government signalling new financing tools aimed at SMEs, there’s an added sense that the conversations at this year’s GuyExpo might ripple into real, tangible support for the people behind the stalls.