With just under five weeks to go, The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA) and its Invest Grand Bahama (IGB) promotional unit says that plans are well underway to feature the benefits of doing business on Grand Bahama, at the 2017 Source Direct at ASD Trade show & Expo. The 4-day event is slated for July 30th – August 2nd, 2017 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.
GBPA’s Sr. Manager of Business Development and Invest Grand Bahama, Derek Newbold, notes that the event presents a wide range of opportunities for attracting key industries to Grand Bahama. “Source Direct at ASD is one of the world’s largest and best known manufacturers, wholesalers and buyers event globally,” he explained.
“Grand Bahama is ripe for investments within the light manufacturing, value addition/assembly and distribution sectors. Our infrastructure and proximity to North America, combined with free zone concessions, provides an ideal environment from which to conduct business, especially for these industries. Further, there appears to be a growing advantage for Near-shoring as opposed to offshore manufacturing and distribution for many US producers, which could be a significant opportunity for Grand Bahama,” he continued.
Newbold also added that, as part of the ‘GBPA’s Business Diversity Initiative, the Invest Grand Bahama Small Business Bureau will sponsor the winning Licensee, drawn during its recent Business Innovation Boot Camp to join the IGB Team at the event.
“Source Direct is a massive event featuring 9 different trade shows all under one roof. And, as we push our Diversify.Innovate.Grow theme for 2017 – the possibilities for sparking new and innovative ideas for small businesses are endless,” shared Business Services Manager, LaShawn Dames. “With retail businesses accounting for the largest percentage of our Licensees, our goal as a result of this initiative, is to bring greater diversity and growth to the sector via exposure to new ideas, products and methodologies.
Under the theme “SEE IT.LOVE IT.SOURCE IT. HERE!”, Source Direct will bring together buyers, as well as thousands of Importers, Distributors, Wholesale Manufacturers, and Product Development companies globally.
President of GBPA, Ian Rolle, expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming event, noting its relevance and importance to both international and domestic investment promotion.
“GBPA’s participation at this event from an investment promotion aspect is deliberate. On one hand, the team will focus on spurring interest from foreign companies, with a view to attracting new investments and creating new economic opportunities. And, on the other, we are actively demonstrating our commitment to building the local economy, by encouraging investments in unique and diverse products, business ideas and services; all of which add tremendous value to the island’s future economic development goals,” cited Rolle.
