The Southex International Expo 2025 is commemorating 35 years of providing a platform for businesses in Trinidad to expand their reach.
Southex CEO, George Singh, said the theme of this year’s event, “Architects of Innovation Powered by AI,” aims to show how important artificial intelligence is for business enhancement.
“In the year 2000, our theme was e-business or out of business. That’s 25 years ago. We were thinking, we were trying to project that to people. Today, you have very, very large corporations that are shutting down the brick-and-mortar facilities and going strictly online. In 2021, while we were on the cusp of coming out of a lockdown, our theme was ‘Rethink,’ which is something we all had to do coming out of COVID. We all had to rethink how we do business. We are all architects of innovation. It’s what drives us.”
Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Satyakama Maharaj, agreed that businesses must embrace AI to become major global players, showcasing talent and the opportunities.
“I want to tell you, AI is the tip of the iceberg. It is the AI Stone Age we’re in right now. It is going to be transformative. It’s going to affect how we live, how we do business, how we interact with one another, every single thing. So this is a fantastic theme.”
Mr. Singh said this year’s expo is one of the biggest, with a 12% increase in participation, a projection of 50% growth in 2026, and a 300% increase in the car show participation.
“We have always been a company that has piloted major projects, not only in San Fernando, but major projects in Trinidad. We will continue to put San Fernando on the map, continue to do events that bring people to South, and keep them talking about our wonderful city and southern hospitality.”
The Southex International Expo’s new location is at the La Reve Conference Centre at the C3 Centre, San Fernando.