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Este informe no está disponible en español. CARIBBEAN BUSINESS P.R. Chamber Of Commerce To Hold First ExpoCamara InternacionalEvent will showcase panoply of Puerto Rico products and servicesBy LORRAINE BLASOR October 30, 2003 More than 40,000 local and foreign buyers were invited to attend the first ExpoCamara Internacional on Nov. 1 and 2 at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan. This is the first time the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce has held an activity to showcase the full range of products and services available in Puerto Rico, said Horacio Figueroa, president of Tourism Events Unlimited, which is organizing the trade show. Of 300 spaces available, 230 have already been sold to exhibitors from Puerto Rico, the U.S. mainland, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Panama, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and other countries. Each space sells for $1,300. The trade show seeks to strengthen local commerce, promote exports, and attract potential investors to Puerto Rico, Figueroa said. Exhibitors come from all fields: construction, health products, furnishings, leather goods, clothing, crafts, telecommunications & technology, tourism, transportation, pharmaceuticals, and services. Though 40,000 invitations were sent, Figueroa said the fair is likely to attract some 5,000 people. Those visiting from other countries will be able to get airfare discounts from American Airlines, a co-sponsor of ExpoCamara Internacional. The other sponsors are Promoexport and the municipality of San Juan, which bought 34 spaces to create a pavilion that will be made available at no cost to more than 100 San Juan entrepreneurs. Figueroa said his company began working on the trade show a year ago and has gotten an early start on ExpoCamara Internacional 2004. Tourism Events Unlimited also mounts the annual International Food Expo of the Chamber of the Food Marketing & Distribution Industry (MIDA by its Spanish acronym) as well as the tourism fairs sponsored by the Puerto Rico Tourism Co. "ExpoCamara Internacional will be twice as special because in addition to being a world-class commercial event, it coincides with the 90th anniversary of our chamber," said former Chamber of Commerce President Jose Joaquin Villamil. Founded in 1913, the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce has more than 2,000 members in the commerce and service sectors. These sectors contribute significantly to the island’s economy, with yearly sales of $26.8 billion, or 39.4% of the local gross national product. This Caribbean Business article appears courtesy of Casiano Communications.
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