The Old and The New: Made in Manchester Expo to feature new startups and regional standard bearers
For the first time, female entrepreneurs from Clarendon and St. Elizabeth will join exhibitors from Manchester at the Made in Manchester Exposition slated to be held at the Kendal centre in the parish on Sunday March 30, 2025.
A total of 100 MSMEs from a range of industries/sectors will show products and services from segments including Tourism and Hospitality, Tours and Attractions, Transportation, Food Manufacturing, Agro-Processing, Agriculture and Fisheries, Art, Craft and Jewelry (Artisans), BPO, and Information technology.
Conference convener, Annette P. Salmon of Twenty Strategies Limited says exhibitors who are MSMEs are trained how to present their products and services and also encouraged to accept feedback from visitors and, additionally, trained in the importance of following up post-event.
Lifetime sponsors include Knutsford Express Limited and National baking Limited. Salmon highlights the role of sponsors who she says “believe in helping small and micro businesses. These companies are hand holders for small entrepreneurs.
“Not a lot of companies see value in Manchester. However, we have businesses all over Jamaica and they need hand holding and capacity building also.
“In Mandeville as elsewhere women are the backbone of the economy. If you give them a chance to let their creativity, they can feed their families. These women are all across Jamaica.”
She outlines that this year the expo will include a Wellness village which features wellness related products and holistic living. Another segment, the marketplace is a melting pot of artisans who make sauces, spices and more. The Farmers market segment features produce coming from the farm as well as plants and animals.
An important segment is the Startup Village featuring business owners from six months to a year. Knutsford Express and National Baking company for the last three years have been supporting startups in this segment by producing all of their signage.
Salmon comments that this year’s event is “dedicated to empowering and elevating female entrepreneurs within the parish of Manchester and, for the first time, neighboring parishes.”
Made in Manchester is in its 10th year of encouraging women in business. It has become a hallmark initiative, providing opportunities for female business owners to enhance brand awareness, increase sales, and gain exposure locally, nationally, and internationally.
Over the years, participants have also secured local grant funding, gained internships at international startup camps, and accessed retail markets across Jamaica and beyond.
Salmon says, “ The 10th anniversary promises to be the most impactful, showcasing not only the incredible talent and innovation of small-scale entrepreneurs but also celebrating the legacy of Manchester as a hub for Jamaican manufacturing excellence.”
In the Conference’s Giants of Manchester Segment: six leading producers—Windalco, Jamaica Standard Products, Pioneer Chocolate, Pickapeppa, Holsum, and Isratech Jamaica Ltd.—will be showcased, highlighting Manchester's manufacturing legacy.
For the third consecutive year, five startups will receive free exhibition spaces, under the expo’s commitment to nurturing emerging businesses.
The expo will feature finalists from this competition, each sharing innovative business ideas from young women across the region.
Salmon says, “With the help of sponsors we hope to present cash prizes of $300,000 and the opportunity for seven to exhibit at the EXPO.
20 Twenty Strategies Consulting is a hybrid marketing/communication firm, which has over time trained thousands of micro, small and medium size businesses throughout the island via clients such as Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) Ltd, Scientific Research Council (SRC) and Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
Salmon said that as usual at the conference, “We are celebrating the large business in the parish which have paved the way.”
Caribbean Money Daily
Conference convener, Annette P. Salmon of Twenty Strategies Limited says exhibitors who are MSMEs are trained how to present their products and services and also encouraged to accept feedback from visitors and, additionally, trained in the importance of following up post-event.
Lifetime sponsors include Knutsford Express Limited and National baking Limited. Salmon highlights the role of sponsors who she says “believe in helping small and micro businesses. These companies are hand holders for small entrepreneurs.
“Not a lot of companies see value in Manchester. However, we have businesses all over Jamaica and they need hand holding and capacity building also.
“In Mandeville as elsewhere women are the backbone of the economy. If you give them a chance to let their creativity, they can feed their families. These women are all across Jamaica.”
She outlines that this year the expo will include a Wellness village which features wellness related products and holistic living. Another segment, the marketplace is a melting pot of artisans who make sauces, spices and more. The Farmers market segment features produce coming from the farm as well as plants and animals.
An important segment is the Startup Village featuring business owners from six months to a year. Knutsford Express and National Baking company for the last three years have been supporting startups in this segment by producing all of their signage.
Salmon comments that this year’s event is “dedicated to empowering and elevating female entrepreneurs within the parish of Manchester and, for the first time, neighboring parishes.”
Made in Manchester is in its 10th year of encouraging women in business. It has become a hallmark initiative, providing opportunities for female business owners to enhance brand awareness, increase sales, and gain exposure locally, nationally, and internationally.
Over the years, participants have also secured local grant funding, gained internships at international startup camps, and accessed retail markets across Jamaica and beyond.
Salmon says, “ The 10th anniversary promises to be the most impactful, showcasing not only the incredible talent and innovation of small-scale entrepreneurs but also celebrating the legacy of Manchester as a hub for Jamaican manufacturing excellence.”
In the Conference’s Giants of Manchester Segment: six leading producers—Windalco, Jamaica Standard Products, Pioneer Chocolate, Pickapeppa, Holsum, and Isratech Jamaica Ltd.—will be showcased, highlighting Manchester's manufacturing legacy.
For the third consecutive year, five startups will receive free exhibition spaces, under the expo’s commitment to nurturing emerging businesses.
The expo will feature finalists from this competition, each sharing innovative business ideas from young women across the region.
Salmon says, “With the help of sponsors we hope to present cash prizes of $300,000 and the opportunity for seven to exhibit at the EXPO.
20 Twenty Strategies Consulting is a hybrid marketing/communication firm, which has over time trained thousands of micro, small and medium size businesses throughout the island via clients such as Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) Ltd, Scientific Research Council (SRC) and Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
Salmon said that as usual at the conference, “We are celebrating the large business in the parish which have paved the way.”
Caribbean Money Daily
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