MISSION DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
As part of the Showcase Europe Travel and Tourism Sector Program, CS/Athens is organizing the first International Tourism Infrastructure Conference (ITIC '99). The conference will take place in Thessaloniki, Greece, April 28-29, 1999. The goal of this conference is to introduce and network U.S. companies and their related industry association partners with business and government decision makers from all interested European countries. This conference will enable all participants to identify and hear first hand the business opportunities associated with the development, construction and operation of tourism infrastructure projects in the region.
At present, the following twenty-seven countries from Europe and the Caspian and Mediterranean region have agreed to participate in the conference: Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, FYR of Macedonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the U.S. Mission to the European Union for outreach to the participating U.S. companies.
MISSION THEMES
The specific areas that will be addressed at this conference and the U.S. target companies and associations will be drawn from the following categories:
MISSION SCENARIO
The tentative conference program is as follows:
Monday, April 26, 1999
Arrival of CS/Europe and U.S. Companies
Tuesday, April 27, 1999
Attendees: CS/Europe, U.S. companies and European Delegates, and selected businessmen from Greece.
Wednesday, April 28, 1999
Tourism Development Workshops (Participants can choose from the following):
- A) Golf Course Development
- B) Harbor/Marina Development
- C) Resort Hotel/Concept Design/Convention Business
- D) Alternative Tourism/Theme Parks/Historical Sites
- E) Winter Sports Facilities
Thursday, April 29, 1999
Friday, April 30, 1999
RECRUITMENT
Recruitment will commence immediately and will close on March 1, 1999. Late applications will be considered on a space available basis.
The recruitment target is 10-15 companies. The target companies will be drawn from the categories outlined in the Mission Themes paragraph.
CS/Athens will have principal responsibility for recruiting the U.S. companies and associations that will participate in the event. CS/Athens will inform the domestic teams and seek their input/assistance on recruitment. Recruitment will focus on presidents/CEOs from small to medium-sized companies, and the international business development managers from the larger operations. Some U.S. companies already established in other areas of Europe may also participate. CS/Athens will also recruit a local audience of approximately 100 Greek business and government leaders.
The participation fee for U.S. mission participants is $1,000.
The mission statement will also be listed on the International Trade Administration’s Internet home page.
Criteria for Participation:
- Relevance of the company's business line to mission goals.
- Potential for business in the selected markets.
- Timeliness of the company's completed application and payment of applicable participation fees.
- Provision of adequate information on the company's products and/or services and communication of the company's primary objectives to facilitate appropriate matching with potential business partners.
- Certification that the company's products and/or services are manufactured or produced in the United States or if manufactured/produced outside of the United States, the product/service must be marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have U.S. content representing at least 51% of the value of the finished good or service.
Any partisan political activities of an applicant, including political contributions, will be entirely irrelevant to the selection process.
Contact Information:
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