PORT ANTONIO, Portland:

PLANS FOR a day-long 'Small Business Day' have been unveiled by Chamber of Commerce President Daney-Ann Thomas for Thursday May 31 at three separate Port Antonio venues. The day will kick off at the Portland Parish Council chambers at 10 a.m. with a brief address by Ms Thomas.

This will be followed by a 'Meet-the-Mayor' session for small business operators at 10:15 a.m. A question-and-answer session for taxi drivers, various hospitality providers, hairdressers, barbers and 'corner shops' will follow at 10:30 a.m. This will be followed by a Transport Authority update covering new rules, dress code and safety measures.

At 11:20 a.m., there will be a Public Health Department presentation including requirements, practices and benefits plus a question-and-answer session covering test dates, fees, fines and compliance requirements.

At 11:45 a.m., the venue moves to the Chamber of Commerce secretariat at 2 Harbour Street. Plans are for the Chamber of Commerce offices to serve as an information centre for all types of information on the parish and take up the slack for the Jamaica Tourist Board, and Tourism Product Development Company offices that have closed in Port Antonio.

Variety of demonstrations

At noon, the activities switch to the adjacent Neville Antonio Park where lunch will be available and a variety of demonstrations and presentations are slated. Half-hour later, there will be a mixology demonstration sponsored by Lascelles. MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise) Alliance Chairman Professor Rosalea Hamilton will be the guest speaker from 1 p.m, addressing such topics as partnership, networking, alliances and affiliates.

From 1:30 p.m., the Heart Trust/National Training Agency will have various skill displays and outline their certification requirements. At 2:15 p.m., there will be various merchandising booth displays in the park. From 4 p.m., there will be an open-air concert on the park stage. There is no charge to participate in the day's activities, which present an excellent opportunity to meet other enterprising business operators from the community.

For additional details, call 873-0882 or 378-6542