Do It Again, Say Pacific Trade Expo Participants

15 March 2006

'Do It Again' Say Pacific Trade Expo Participants

The door had scarcely closed on the inaugural Pacific Trade Expo yesterday before participants were calling on the organisers to “do it again.”

Richard Maugueret, Executive Officer of the New Zealand Pacific Business Council which staged the expo at the Telstraclear Events Centre in Manukau, says feedback from the 200 companies and agencies participating was strongly in favour of making the event a regular fixture.

“The expo gave participants an opportunity to network which they had never had before,” Mr Maugeuret said. “ It was the first time private enterprise companies from Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and New Zealand were able to network together at a single venue,” he said.

Mr Maugeuret said that it was not possible to quantify the amount of business contracted at the expo. But he said as an example of what had been achieved, a gold exporting company from Papua New Guinea was now in talks with a Tahitian pearl exporter about a joint venture in high-end jewellery manufacture.

The expo was well supported by New Zealand business. During the two days it attracted some 2 500 trade visitors, exceeding the organisers’ expectations.

ENDS

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