|
A year and a half after the successful 2007 Conference on Business Opportunities in the Islands, the Department of Interior's 2009 Conference is just weeks away, and on-line registration is open at www.IslandBusinessOpportunities.com.
JGPO Executive Director Maj Gen David F. Bice (Ret) will be a featured speaker at the conference.
DOI has already confirmed that Governor Felix Camacho of Guam, Governor Benigno Fitial of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Governor Togiola Tulafono of American Samoa and President Manny Mori of the Federated States of Micronesia will be participating this year. In addition, Dr. Stephen Schneider, a world renown climatologist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, will be giving a presentation on opening day. Sessions will include topics such aslarge scale construction projects planned on Guam and in the other insular islands. The agenda will also feature Tony Neil, Director of the Pacific Power Association, Theodore Peck, Energy Administrator, Strategic Industries Division, Hawai'i DBEDT, and Lee Webber, publisher of the Honolulu Advertiser. We also expect U.S. Congressional representatives, senior U.S. military officials, and hundreds of business people from the insular areas, the freely associated states, the United States mainland, and around the Pacific Rim.
The agenda is set and DOI is pleased to feature industry experts and speakers from across the insular areas and the freely associated states discussing business opportunities in a variety of industries, including:
- Large-scale public infrastructure work, especially construction projects associated with the military construction on Guam: As part of the historic realignment of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, 8,000 Marines will be relocated from Okinawa to Guam. This will require over US$14 billion in new construction and procurement for infrastructure, as well as services to support the enlarged base. Construction is slated to begin in 2010.
- Renewable Energy: Increasing energy efficiency and decreasing dependence on expensive imported oil represent major business opportunities. For the first time, a full track of four breakout sessions will be devoted to these projects.
- Tourism of all kinds: These areas are among the most pristine and beautiful islands in the Pacific, if not the world. They offer a wealth of opportunities for small and large-scale hotel/resort development aimed at a wide range of clientele. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is helping plan the tourism track at the conference with the goal of increasing tourism opportunities on the islands and attracting more visitors.
The conference will also include networking receptions, and most importantly, prearranged one-on-one meetings, offering participants an opportunity to meet directly to discuss joint ventures. The conference is the DOI's flagship event to promote economic development in the U.S. territories and freely associated states.
For more information or to register, go to www.IslandBusinessOpportunities.com. |
