24 July 2012/ CE/ ACP: Twenty-two cultural industries firms from across the Caribbean recently undertook a study tour passing through Manchester (UK), Berlin (Germany) and Paris (France), gearing up for the 2nd CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum, to be held 8-9 August in London.

The study tour, organized by Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) and African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Business Climate (BizClim) aimed at forming strategic business alliances with European counterparts. It follows a similar study tour for manufacturing firms earlier in the month.

“The cultural industries sector has the potential to deliver significant benefits to the region through innovation and knowledge creation, as well as contribute to economic growth in the Caribbean,” said Executive Director of Caribbean Export Ms. Pamela Coke Hamilton. “As such the objective of this Tour is to foster dialogue between European and CARIFORUM business leaders with the view to enhance the region’s investment potential.”

Twenty-two firms hailing from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago represented the fashion, music and audiovisual industries of the regionduring the tourfrom 2 – 11 July.

In addition to meeting counterpart organizations and companies, it is anticipated that a roadmap for the development of the sector within the EU market will be presented and discussed at the upcoming CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum next month.

The Cultural Industries Study Tour and the 2nd CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum is made possible through the support from the ACP BizClim Programme Management Unit and the European Union’s 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP).

(Photo: Mr Luc Biermé, Show Manager, and Christelle le Moing, Sales Executive from the Who’s Next Fashion Show in Paris speaking with Study Tour participants/ CE)

– Caribbean Export

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