The third annual Caribbean Hospitality Investment Conference and Operations Summit (CHICOS), to be held November 7 and 8, 2013 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in the Dominican Republic, will, in 2013 and going forward, be co-hosted by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and HVS.
The long-standing official Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC) organized and managed by CHTA along with CTO will now partner with HVS and their CHICOS event. This will be CHTA’s 17th year hosting an investment conference in the Caribbean. CHTIC 2013 was originally planned for May.
“With our strength in appealing to the leading investors, developers and brands in the Caribbean and with CHTA and CTO’s ability to gather the region’s governmental and private sector leadership, our partnership for CHICOS is truly the perfect marriage,” explained Mr. Parris E. Jordan, managing director of HVS in the Caribbean and executive director of the CHICOS conference, now in its third year.
“CHTA’s 50 years of organizing and managing conferences in the region will undoubtedly bring dynamic enthusiasm and seasoned professionals from amongst its 1,000+ member companies, as well as the region’s public sector tourism authorities to network with the movers and shakers in Caribbean hospitality,” Jordan added.
“CHICOS will now certainly become a bigger, stronger conference with our three organizations working together,” shared Richard Doumeng, president of the CHTA. “With CHTA, CTO and HVS combined, CHICOS will serve the industry as the official and leading hospitality and tourism investment conference for the Caribbean region,” Doumeng said.
Since its launch by HVS in 2011, CHICOS has brought together international investors and operators as well as the region’s leading decision makers. Also attending and speaking are governmental representatives, opinion leaders, and international industry leaders, discussing the region’s markets and possibilities.
Now in its third year, CHICOS will also focus on international investment in the Caribbean, highlighting diverse speakers and panels to ensure vibrant discussion and new debates. CHICOS provides an excellent platform for delegates to share views, insights ideas, and proposed strategies for overcoming challenges in the region.
CHICOS 2013 will feature panels of major lenders, including CIBC FirstCaribbean Investment Bank, Sterling Financial, Scotiabank and Inter-American Development Bank. CHICOS has also established a “Task Force” program comprised of a cross section of international and regional leaders in the hospitality, tourism, real estate, legal, investment, airline and government sectors. These Task Forces proactively address the region’s most pressing issues in order to advance hospitality and tourism development and investment in the Caribbean.
According to Simon Suarez, chief development representative, Caribbean and Central America for Hilton Worldwide, chairman of the Dominican Republic local planning committee for CHICOS 2013 and also past president and chairman of CHTA, “We are delighted that CHTA is co-hosting CHICOS with HVS as it will elevate the overall credibility of the conference and clearly establish CHICOS as a must-attend event for everyone in the hospitality industry as well as the investment and development communities. We in the Dominican Republic are proud to be a part of this inaugural co-hosted investment conference.”
CHICOS 2013, www.hvschicos.com