NEW ORLEANS – The inaugural Panama Gateway Gulf Coast summit “Focus Forward 2016 – New Orleans and Panama: Gateways to the Americas,” takes place Thursday, October 13 and Friday, October 14, 2016, and will focus on cutting edge technologies, synergies and emerging capacities in business tourism.
The summit will offer attendees an opportunity to get up-to-date information on such important topics as Intellectual Property in the Global Marketplace, Multinational Risk Management: Survival of the Fittest, and Best Practices to Capitalize on U.S.-Panama Trade Advantages.
The agenda will include four daily panel discussions and a daily luncheon with keynote speakers from among Panama’s attending representatives and New Orleans’s industry leaders. All monies raised will help Panama Gateway and its partners provide programs and services which foster the development of educational and commercial ties between New Orleans and Latin America as well as the expansion of New Orleans’ Hispanic cultural and economic footprint abroad. These programs include international investment seminars, trade and risk management white papers, and industry-driven development articles.
The summit is being co-sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Louisiana, Greater New Orleans, Inc., and other private and government entities from both New Orleans and the Republic of Panama. The much-anticipated gathering will provide an opportunity for business leaders to identify areas for mutual cooperation, isolate crucial supporting industries and technologies, and develop business opportunities in emerging areas, including eco-tourism, smart energy attractions and adventure travel, event reps said.
Private industry leaders in the Gulf Coast region and Panama, including representatives from Copa Airlines, will have the opportunity to hear and meet with trade experts, industry professionals, and U.S. and Panamanian commercial diplomats. They will be able to take advantage of these opportunities via panel discussions and one-on-one executive meetings. The charm of the Big Easy, the Gateway to the Americas in the heart of the Gulf Coast, the warmth of its citizens, and its marketing and development opportunities will provide the perfect backdrop in which to highlight Panama’s expansion of the Canal and, with it, the expansion of Panama’s footprint in emerging commercial and tourism markets, event reps said.
The event agenda includes:
Thursday, October 13
• 7:30 – 8:20 a.m. Breakfast and networking
• 8:20 – 8:30 a.m. Opening remarks – Jacqueline M. Brettner, General Counsel, Panama Gateway International Association (Remarks will include background on PGIA and partnering entities and event overview.)
• 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. Cultural Significance of the Arts in the Gateway Cities (Panel discussion. Topics will include cultural similarities between New Orleans and Panama as driven by culinary, musical, and artistic expression, the role which these industries play in domestic and international tourism, and the historical and present-day significance of the arts in our respective educational systems as compared to the rest of the world).
Panelists
Olga Sinclair – Renowned Panamanian artist and former cultural attaché of Panama.
Susan Guidry –Council member, District A, New Orleans.
William “Billy” Herron –Fundacion Danilo Perez
Chef Adolfo Garcia
• 10:00 – 10:20 a.m. Break
• 10:30 – 12:00 p.m. Financial Management in a Global Economy (Panel discussion. Topics will include commercial benefits and tax incentives available to entrepreneurs in New Orleans & Panama).
Panelists
John M. Schaible – CEO and president of AtlasBanc Holdings Corporation.
Marcel Gonzalez – Gulf Coast Bank & Trust.
Yolany Alvarado – ProPanama.
Christina D’Anelo de Varela – Troncoso y Associados.
Carolina Troncoso de Yanes – Troncoso y Associados y Presidenta de la Comisión de Actos Jurídicos de APEDE.
• 12:00 – 12:15 Break
• 12:15 – 2:00 p.m. Lunch keynote address: Business Opportunities Post- Panamax (Ricardo Zubieta – Chief of Staff, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Republica de Panama).
• 2:00 – 3:30 Intellectual Property in the Global Marketplace (Panel discussion. Topics will include the basic tenets of intellectual property – including patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets – and a discussion about how businesses can protect their IP internationally and the international effects of U.S. intellectual property.)
Panelists
Emily L. Gummer – Carver Darden law firm.
Robert J. Brown – Assistant director, Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization.
• 3:30 – 3:45 p.m. Break
• 3:45 – 5:15 p.m. Medical Tourism Defined (Panel discussion. Topics will include research and development in the medical field as a driving force in semi-permanent tourism, the status and impacts of emerging tropical diseases on Central and South American tourism, and the benefits associated with international partnerships between medical facilities and medical schools.)
Panelists
Amritha Appaswami – Director of BioInnovation and Health Services.
Michael Hecht – CEO Greater New Orleans, Inc.
• 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception and B2B Networking (We’ll walk to the InterContinental behind a traditional New Orleans Second Line Marching band. Depart J.W. Marriott for the InterContinental at 6:15 p.m.)
Friday, October 14
• 7:30 – 8:20 a.m. Breakfast and Networking
• 8:20 – 8:30 a.m. Opening Remarks
• 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. Business Tourism Dossier: Packaging a Successful and Effective Experience (Panel discussion. Topics will include expanded capabilities for both New Orleans and Panama’s international airports, logistics to handle the tourism boost anticipated as a result of these efforts, and the role of private air and the hospitality industry in responding to the changes.)
Panelists
Matt Schwartz – Principal, Domain Companies.
Ricardo Pedroza – General manager, USA Copa Airlines.
Jason Deibler – Ace Hotel New Orleans.
Bianca Bonilla – InterContinental Hotel of New Orleans.
Walter Krygowski – Louis Armstrong International Airport.
• 10:00 – 10:20 a.m. Break
• 10:30 – 12:00 p.m. Risk Management & Insurance Coverage Basics for the Multinational Corporation (Panel discussion. Topics will include essential insurance coverage issues relevant in the U.S. domestic and international marketplaces.)
Panelists
Jacqueline M. Brettner – Carver Darden law firm.
Louis Fey – Wright & Percy Insurance.
Sarah E. Stogner – Carver Darden law firm.
• 12:00 – 12:15 p.m. Break
• 12:15 – 2:00 p.m. Lunch keynote address: Panama Corporate Success in the U.S. – The How & Why (John Coronado – commercial counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Panama).
• 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. How to Capitalize on the U.S. – Panama Free Trade Agreement (Panel discussion. Topics will include a discussion of all aspects of compliance with the trade agreement and opportunities created as a result of its implementation. It will also cover recent developments in international trade, shipping, and logistics.)
Panelists
Aristides Chiaritti – COO, Colon Import & Export.
Robert “Bobby” M. Landry – Vice president, Port of New Orleans.
Edward “Eddy” Hayes – WTC of New Orleans.
Paul Aucoin – Executive director of the Port of South Louisiana.
John Hyatt – Irwin Brown.
• 3:30-3:45 p.m. Break
• 3:45-5:15 p.m. The Role of Education in a Borderless World (Panel discussion. This topic includes technological impacts on education, the benefits of an international education, the significance of a true global market economy and its impact on tomorrow’s workplace needs, and the business of education in the global arena.)
Panelists
Saul Newsome – Breazeale, Sasche & Wilson, co-chair of Super Region Canvas 2016.
Mark J. Spansel – Adams & Reese, co-chair of Super Region Canvas 2016.
Jacqueline M. Brettner – General counsel, Panama Gateway.
John W. Wallace – Chairman, Panama Gateway.
Michael Hecht – GNO, Inc.
Mayra Pineda – President, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana.
• 6:30-8:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception & B2B Networking (Walk to the InterContinental– the hotels are a short distance apart.)
Partners
• Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana
• U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Greater New Orleans, Inc.
Sponsors
• COPA Airlines
• J. W. Marriott New Orleans
• InterContinental Hotel of New Orleans
• Carver Darden Law Firm
• Gulf Coast Bank & Trust
• International Law Section of the Louisiana State Bar Association
