CubaPLUS Magazine

The holding of fairs is very beneficial for the nation's economy, as it makes it possible to bring in new exhibitors and investors to be with us in the country and to trust and bet on Cuba, considered Rafael Alejandro Rodríguez Maestrey, director of Pabexpo.

In an exclusive interview granted to this magazine, the executive spoke extensively about the importance for the country's economy of holding these types of events that are far from incurring in expenses for the entity. They are very beneficial since they have a particular commercial, economic and business character that allows, above all, to attract new investors.

He cited as an example the Havana International Fair, which takes place every November, and which is multisectoral, it attracts foreign investors in numerous branches of the economy, fundamentally interested in participating in the business forum that takes place within exhibition activities. Later he explained that in the halls of the Pabexpo premises, belonging to the company organizer of congresses, fairs and exhibitions, integrated into the PALCO Business Group, They hold fairs on specific topics, such as the one currently taking place that addresses the transportation sector.

This year, he continued, there will be many other fairs: after Transport and Logistics we will have the Construction sector at the end of this month, Cuba Food next May, Cubaindustria in June, the first fair associated with the Trade Convention. In July, the Renewable Energies in September and at the end of the year the International Crafts.

In the case of The Havana International Fair, although it is marketed by our work team, he worked for several years as an organizer of fairs, something that consecrated the entity he directs in two important conclaves: the Summit of the Group of 77 plus China last September and the third edition of the Patria Colloquium in last March that, although they were not fairs, the work carried out by all the entity´s professionals was successful and raised very high the level of Pabexpo's work.

When finally referring to the entity's projections, he considered that “Pabexpo, including the Palco Group has a prodigious future, because we are framed in openness and economic flexibility. New economic actors participate with us and are sought after by international suppliers that visit us… They are already growing and in all the fairs we have them, with the national exhibitors, the participation of the provincial governments, Ministries and OSDEs (Superior Organizations of Business Management), which guarantee an increasingly greater presence and, therefore, the growth of our events.”