Top media minds Jayne Wise of National Geographic Traveler, Veronica Stoddart of USA Today and Elinor Tatum of New York’s Amsterdam News will join some of the world’s top authorities on multicultural marketing in Nassau, Bahamas when the 7th full scale edition of the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) is held December 8-12, 2005 at Breezes Bahamas.
Directors of Counterpart International, the international non-profit development organisation in Washington DC, announced that this December’s four-day meeting has attracted some of the media industry’s top writers and editors, as well as seasoned experts in the area of niche marketing to examine the theme: “Exploring Niche Markets for Caribbean Tourism”. Delegates will examine the vibrant, millions-strong Caribbean Diaspora in North America and Europe, and the lucrative African-American, Hispanic-American and Asian-American markets which wield tremendous resources and influence.
The Bahamas conference follows eleven other regional media exchanges since October 2001 which have gathered regional and international media people with tourism experts and officials.
In addition to the full-scale media exchanges, Counterpart launched streamlined one-day sessions with its distinctive interactive focus. The day-long CMExPress meetings were held in Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago and Brooklyn, New York this year, while full CMEx meetings have been successfully staged in The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica (Kingston, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios) and St. Lucia. A special edition was held in the Dominican Republic in August.
The conference has attracted a strong contingent of Caribbean and Caribbean-American community and business leaders, as well a cross-section of journalists from across the Caribbean, from Antigua to Curacao, and in the Diaspora – from California to New York. Experts confirmed to attend the meeting include Michael Deflorimonte, former Vice President of African American Affairs at Charles Schwab & Co; Lisa Skriloff, President of Multicultural Marketing Resources; Hugh Riley, Director of Marketing for the Americas of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation; Andria Hall, President, SpeakEasy M.E.D.I.A; Basil Smith, Director of Communications, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism; Irwine Clare, Managing Director of the Caribbean Immigrant Services; Frank Comito, Executive Vice President of the Bahamas Hotel Association; Halim Majeed, Deputy Director of the Dubois-Bunche Center for Public Policy of Medgar Evers College; Saul Gitlin, Executive Vice President at Kang & Lee Advertising; international author and journalist, Ian Williams; Dr. Basil Springer, Chairman of Counterpart Caribbean; and Patrick Cozier, Secretary General of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union.
CMEx’s wide range of sponsors and supporters includes Almond Resorts, American Express, Bahamas Hotel Association, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Breezes Bahamas, Association of Caribbean Media Workers, Black Entertainment Television, Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism, Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Caribbean Hotel Association, Caribbean World News Network, Coca-Cola, Coco Resorts, ENG Caribbean Vision Center, Ruder Finn, Spirit Airlines, United Nations Development Programme, and “We are the Caribbean Media Services”.
For additional information, visit www.caribbeanmediaexchange.com and click on “Agenda” or contact Bevan Springer on bevanspringer@nj.rr.com or + 1 201 861-2056.
