Following the success of last month’s Caribbean Marketplace where buyers and suppliers met to do business in pre-matched time-slots, the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) is now applying the same electronic appointment matching process to the 14th Annual Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC 2010), taking place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 4-6, 2010.

The Electronic Delegate Directory, also known as The Passport, will begin accepting pre-scheduled appointment requests from registered, appointment-taking delegates on Feb. 12.

Once registered, investors, lenders, architects, planners, construction companies, financial organizations, real estate/mortgage intermediaries, developers, hoteliers, industry officials and other tourism entities can take advantage of this new facility (early-bird registration is available through Feb. 19).

CHTIC is the only event of its kind hosted in the Caribbean, said Enrique De Marchena Kaluche, President of CHTA. The two-day conference represents a critical allocation of time for anyone looking to conduct business and find investment opportunities in the region.

The program will be supported with exceptional networking opportunities including the ability to pre-schedule appointments via our state-of-the-art, proprietary scheduling software, noted De Marchena.
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Appointment-taking delegates can submit pre-scheduled appointment requests during the two month period from Feb 12 April 12, 2010, after which the requests will be scheduled. Delegates are encouraged to prioritize their appointment requests as appointments will be scheduled based on order of preference.

Once appointments are scheduled, appointment-taking delegates will receive a notification to view the schedule online in The Passport. Each appointment will be scheduled for 15 minutes with five minutes in between for delegates to move to their next appointment.

Delegates will also receive a Prospect list which includes non-scheduled appointments from companies they requested to see but for whom there was no common time for the computer to schedule the appointment, as well as companies which requested but were not able to receive appointments with them. Prospect lists will be accessible to all appointment-taking delegates online in The Passport prior to CHTIC 2010 to permit direct follow up.

The Electronic Delegate Directory on The Passport is updated constantly and will be available for viewing by all appointment-taking delegates continuously throughout the registration period and up to one month after the event. Delegates simply need their delegate number and password which will be e-mailed once the registration process is complete.

To access The Passport, appointment-taking delegates can log-in to the CHTA website at www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com, click CHTIC under Upcoming Events and then go to The Passport tab.

Delegates experiencing any trouble accessing The Passport should contact CHTA at 305-443-3040, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

CHTIC 2010

Taking place at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, May 4-6, 2010, CHTIC will be hosted by CHTA, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association (PRHTA) and the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau (PRCB).

Building on the momentum achieved in recent years with a growing interest in Caribbean tourism development, CHTIC is staged by two not-for-profit organizations CHTA and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). CHTA represents the regional hotel and tourism associations and CTO is the public sector tourism body which represents the countries of the region. All funds from the conference are being reinvested in the region for the benefit of the Caribbean tourism industry.

In addition to the invaluable networking and development of investment strategies for the region, a major highlight of the conference will be the A-list of speakers the highest level of hotel and tourism leaders ever assembled for a Caribbean travel industry conference which includes keynote addresses from Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño and Robert Crandall, former AMR Corporation Chairman and CEO.

Additional speakers lined up for CHTIC 2010 include Carlos Vogelel, Regional Representative for the Americas, World Tourism Organization; Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President, World Travel & Tourism Council; Matthew E. Avril, President, Hotel Group for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide; Sebastian Escarrer, Vice Chairman, Sol Melia Hotels & Resorts; and Dr. Peter Yesawich, Chairman & CEO, Y Partnership.

In all my years with CHTA, we have never had a line-up of speakers of such profound magnitude as those confirmed for CHTIC 2010, said Alec Sanguinetti, C.D., Director General and CEO for CHTA.

The ease of access which San Juan provides combined with speakers of this caliber will serve to ensure the perfect venue to showcase the significant investment and development opportunities that exist in the Caribbean today, added Sanguinetti.

The Government of Puerto Rico is proud to host this conference as it provides a unique opportunity to formulate new investment strategies for the tourism industry in Puerto Rico and across the Caribbean, said Governor Luis Fortuño, keynote speaker for the Opening Ceremony for CHTIC on May 4.

Tourism is one of the primary service sectors of the global economy, and plays a leading role in Puerto Ricos economic development. The Caribbean unites to present this event and to create new partnerships with the private sector across the region. We are committed to supporting those seeking to invest in Puerto Rico by building new marketing strategies together and strengthening the competitiveness of our tourism product in the global marketplace, added the Puerto Rico Governor (pictured here to the left of CHTA President Enrique De Marchena).

Limited sponsorship opportunities are now available for this prestigious event for those seeking to promote their products. Sponsors will be highlighted throughout the entire conference, as well as in CHTA’s marketing and public relations activities leading up to and following the event. The Sponsors’ Exhibit will also afford direct contact with representatives of sponsoring companies and will be open throughout the conference.

CHTIC sponsors currently confirmed include FirstCaribbean International Bank, Interval International, LG Electronics and MasterCard on the Patron Sponsorship level, as well as Platinum Sponsors GreenbergTraurig, Group RCI, KPMG and OBM International.

Gold sponsors include American Resort Development Association (ARDA), Best Western, Boyken International, Choice Hotels International, Eventstar, Green Globe Certification and VingCard Elsafe. Media sponsors include Lodging Hospitality and ARDA Devevelopments.

CHTIC was founded by CHTA and CTO in 1997 with the specific objectives of improving the tourism investment and operating climate in the Caribbean, raising awareness of development opportunities and stimulating a continuing flow of equity and loan capital into the region.