NEW YORK – (Press Release) -- May 25, 2001-- Leading executives of the Caribbean Basin's gaming and hospitality industry will deliver an upbeat message to colleagues and competitors at the third annual Caribbean Gaming & Tourism Conference scheduled for June 12-14 at the Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Against a backdrop of increased capital investment throughout most of the region and individual success stories, including the dramatic influx of tourists to Cuba, noted industry experts believe that the economic outlook for the region is robust. Three keynote addresses will open each day of the conference which attracts industry leaders from throughout the Americas:
Tuesday, June 12
-Cuba: The Sleeping Giant Awakens
-Speaker: John S. Kavulich, II, President, U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic
Council, New York, NY
Focus: An assessment of the Caribbean's awakening giant and how
hospitality and tourism developments in the island nation will
affect the entire region.
Wednesday, June 13
-Caribbean Economics for the 21st Century
-Speaker: Jose Villamil, Chairman, Estudios Tecnicos, Inc., San Juan, PR;
Chairman of the Board, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Puerto
Rico
Focus: A five-year economic forecast for the region based on current and
planned expansion, the competition for capital, and market
conditions outside the region that will impact tourism and
spending patterns.
Thursday, June 14
-The Internet-Caribbean Marriage ... Why the Love Affair?
-Speaker: Sue Schneider, Chief Executive Officer and President, River City
Group, St. Louis, MO
Focus: A look at the competitive impact of Caribbean-based Internet
gaming and why Caribbean governments have issued more Internet
gaming licenses to date than all other parts of the world
combined.
This year's Regulators' Roundtable features an outstanding panel of speakers headed by moderator Frederic E. Gushin of Spectrum Gaming Group:
-Guillermo Cabret, Director of the Gaming Division, Puerto Rico Tourism
Company;
-Dennis Leroy Richardson, Former Governor, St. Maarten;
-Carlos Fonseca Sarmiento, Manager, Legal Department of the Gaming
Commission of Peru; and
-Eileen Peterson, Chairwoman of the Virgin Islands Casino Control
Commission.
Additional key topics at this year's Caribbean Gaming & Tourism Conference include slot marketing, and surveillance and security. All sessions will have simultaneous English-Spanish translation.
Conference participants represent every gaming jurisdiction in the region as well as parts of Central and South America. Delegates range from Chairmen of the Board to slot directors, CFOs, and security specialists to pit bosses. In addition, exhibit space at this year's event is selling much faster than expected.
Corporate supporters include Aristocrat Leisure Industries, Sydney, Australia, Platinum Sponsor; AC Coin & Slot Service Company, Atlantic City, NJ, and Unidesa Gaming, Barcelona, Spain, Gold Sponsors; and Gaming Systems International, Las Vegas, NV, WMS Gaming, Chicago, IL, Puerto Rico Tourism Company, San Juan, PR, Silver Sponsors. Media sponsors include IGWB, Casino International Magazines, Casinos de Latinoamerica, and ALAJA.