Virgin Islands Capital Resources, Inc. (VI Cap) and the University of the Virgin Islands Small Business Development Center will host the 2000 Entrepreneurial and Economic Development Conference on June 24 at the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino on St. Croix.
The theme of the conference is "Connecting the US Virgin Islands to the World Economy," and the schedule features a keynote presentation by Daniel Johnson, a partner in the firm Fenwick & West LLP and an intellectual property attorney who counsels technology companies in Silicon Valley.
The program also features the first-ever Youth in Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, which recognize outstanding entrepreneurs in the territory.
The one-day conference is designed to focus on the private sector and to offer practical information regarding how to participate in the global marketplace. Besides the keynote address, presentations and panels include, "The Status of the US Virgin Islands in the World Economy," "How Other Communities are Connecting," "Implementation Strategies – Logistics," and "Implementation Strategies – Technology." Businesses, those interested in community development, and government workers and officials are all expected to gain useful information and networking contacts from the event.
The 2000 conference follows the success of the 1999 conference, which had a theme of "Establishing a Healthy Economy through Entrepreneurship and the Private Sector" and featured a Keynote address by Michael Fields, former president of Oracle USA and successful entrepreneur.
"This year’s conference builds on the foundation we began laying last year," said SBDC Associate Director Daniel T. Hogue. "We want to expose our local business community to as many new avenues as possible in order to maximize their ability to tap into new markets. If we can gain a foothold into the emerging technology markets, then we can diversify our economy and also create new job markets for the future."
Registration for the conference can be done on-line in the services area of http://www.ekalaloo.com. All other forms of registration should be directed to Karen Jones at the office of the University of the Virgin Islands Small Business Development Center on St. Croix (340-692-5270). To find out more about the conference please also speak with Karen Jones or visit the web site at http://www.seslia.com/html/entrepreneurial_conference.html.
