Trade Show In England

When Prime Minister Son Mitchell asked me to represent St. Vincent and the Grenadines at a tourism trade show in Berlin I initially turned him down, I was experiencing anxiety attacks at the time and didn’t want to travel, especially all the way to Germany on an airplane!  Mac and Son had pressed me to go and I was NOT happy about it, but looking back I realize that the long trip to Europe helped me overcome my fear of flying. It also gave me an opportunity to be in Germany when the Berlin wall was coming down, and to visit East Berlin. I still have pieces of the wall to commemorate that important historical event!

The massive trade show in Germany had been a real eye-opener, there were so many countries trying to sell the same sea, sand and palm trees, and they were doing it with no expense spared. The booth for St. Vincent had been quite embarrassing, we did not have colourful arts and crafts adorning our small space, just some flimsy pamphlets and a few posters. Our booth looked poor and naked compared to the glittering displays surrounding it, no wonder so many people wandered past without giving it a second glance!  After living as a large fish in a small pond for so many years, suddenly being a minnow in a vast ocean was a downright humbling experience, and I silently vowed to do something about St. Vincent’s drab booth if and when I ever attended another trade show.

A few years after attending the ITB in Berlin Mr. Mitchell asked me to represent the country at the World Travel Market in London, an offer I accepted with pleasure. Mac and I had quite a few friends in England, and I looked forward to visiting some of them during and after the trade show. The Government organized and paid for our air transport with LIAT and BWIA, but I could change the return dates and fly home whenever it suited me.  The trade show was held at a good time for me; the month of November was slow at the Pizzeria, and time away from the Island would give me a chance to recharge my batteries for the winter season.

With the up-coming trade show in mind, I gathered Vincentian arts and crafts from Lavinia Gunn at Noah’s Arcade on the mainland. She had a wonderful shop on front street filled with locally made souvenirs, and was kind enough to help me choose appropriate items with which to brighten up the booth for St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I also cajoled the Sargeant brothers into loaning me one of their amazing model boats, promising that if I returned without the boat (which is what ended up happening!) I would pay for it.  I packed my treasures carefully, happy in the knowledge that they would make our display more attractive. There was a lot of competition at the trade shows and a colourless, unappealing booth did little to help promote tourism for St. Vincent. Kissing my family good-bye, I boarded the ferry to cross the channel, then flew with LIAT to Barbados. I was happy to see that both the Minister of Tourism and the Director would be accompanying us; when I had flown to Berlin the Minister at that time must have taken the wrong plane by mistake, he had been in the departure area at the Arnos Vale Airport but never DID get to Germany with the rest of the Vincentian delegation! We had a long wait at Barbados, but I discovered that traveling with a Government Minister offered perks such as the use of the air-conditioned VIP lounge, and made myself at home in a nice plush armchair with snacks and coffee until our flight to England was called.