CaribPR Wire

Exceptional buyer reaction to Cooper Jack Marina and Bolton Bank

Cooper Jack Marina in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Looking down River in Bolton Bank, Belize.

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. June 17, 2015: Response to the first-ever multi-destination Caribbean luxury real estate auction has been extremely strong prompting Premiere Estates Auction Company to extend the auction drop date to August 4th.

The two prime luxury development projects, Cooper Jack Marina, located in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Bolton Bank in Belize, have received expansive coverage resulting in considerable buyer interest. Both properties are being offered for sale on the auction block by Avalon Partners, Ltd. (www.avalonpartnersltd.com) in cooperation with Premiere Estates.

Thomas “Tuvia” Sablosky, the managing director of the International Division of Premiere Estates explained, “Given the size, diversity of locations, and magnitude of the properties for sale in this auction, we have extended the auction date to enable all potential buyers to have more time to do their due diligence and conduct their property inspections.”

“We are very pleased with Premiere’s decision,” stated Grace Lappin, Avalon Partners’ managing director. “Serious buyer interest in both Bolton Bank and Cooper Jack Marina has been extremely robust with a number of buyers requesting extended time to complete site visits and information gathering. Moving the date forward to August 4 creates an equitable playing field and optimizes opportunities for all parties.”

Cooper Jack Marina is a 50-acre ocean-front, mixed-use hotel, resort, and residential marina development site located on the lee-side of Providenciales with over 8,000 feet of shoreline. Cooper Jack Marina offers one of the safest harbors between Nassau and Puerto Rico and it is a port of entry for vessels up to 140 feet. The 10 acre marina allows for superior vessel access due to lack of reefs.

Bolton Bank, Belize, a 4,000+ acre river and sea-front parcel within a few miles of Belize’s only international airport and the cruise port, has the potential to be a game-changer for the country’s major city providing an opportunity to create an eco-hotel resort complex complete with state of the art conference center, commercial and retail spaces, residential community, as well as world class golf course and casino. Bolton Bank includes an historic 1 acre site – the only Jewish cemetery in all of Belize.

For more information about these two properties and the auction, please contact Grace Lappin, Managing Director, Avalon Partners, Ltd. by telephone at (212) 717-5477 or (649) 432-4158 or email at [email protected].

About Avalon Partners

Avalon Partners, Ltd. (www.avalonpartnersltd.com) is a boutique real estate advisory and brokerage firm with offices in Manhattan and the Caribbean.

About Premiere Estates Auction Company

Premiere Estates Auction Company (www.PremiereEstates.com) and its corporate family of companies are nationwide leaders in high-end luxury real estate auctions.

Media Contact: Michelle Mercier

TurnaroundNow Communication

[email protected]

(646) 465-0405

Caribbean governments congratulate Royal Caribbean International for its 2013 award along with ICN Founder Felicia Persaud and Dr. Grace Lappin, managing director of Avalon Partners and this year's marquee sponsor. (Hayden Roger Celestin image)

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. June 7, 2013: Avalon Invest Caribbean Now concluded with a bang Wednesday, June 5^th, with delegates, sponsors and speakers alike buzzing over the event’s presentation and program line-up that included a representative from the U.S. State Department and a Chinese delegation.

“Incredible,” “informative” and “superb,” were just some of the phrases used to describe the ICN 2013 forum that kicked-off with the VIP reception on Tuesday evening, June 4^th and wrapped up at noon on Wednesday at the Radisson Martinique Hotel in New York City.

Over twelve dozen delegates attended the Avalon Invest Caribbean Now Forum and reception, including Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands, Dr. Rufus Ewing and his Minister of Finance C. Washington Misick; Minister of Tourism & International Transport, International Trade, Industry, Commerce & Consumer Affairs St. Kitts, Ricky Skerritt; Minister for Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries, St. Lucia, Lorne Theophilus; Minister of Tourism Nevis, Mark Brantley; Minister of Tourism of Antigua & Barbuda, John Maginley; Minister of Tourism, Sports & Culture, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Cecil McKie; Assemblyman Tracy Davidson-Celestine, Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary, Division of Tourism and Transportation, Tobago; Nicolaas Sneek, Commissioner, St. Eustacius; Minister of Tourism of The Bahamas, Obie Wilchcombe and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, and Commissioner of the United States Virgin Islands, Beverly Nicholson Doty.

ICN founder, Felicia Persaud, opened the forum with a passionate speech on the relevancy of the Caribbean while Anthony Eterno, of the Office of Caribbean Affairs in the Western Hemisphere Division in the U.S. State Department, discussed key issues regarding American investment in the Caribbean.

Alan Loewenstein delivered the keynote address and insisted the Caribbean is ripe for investments.

This was followed by a panel on “Development, Tourism & Beyond,” by Heather Flossiac of Belle Vue Properties of St. Lucia; E. Jay Saunders, CEO of Digicel TCI; Brian Lilly, founder of One Caribbean Television and Ganesh Ramanathan, creative director at Hard Beat Communications. The panel was moderated by Dr. Grace Lappin of Avalon Partners, Inc.

Xiaoguang Liu, consul in charge of economic & commercial affairs at the Consulate of China in New York; Johnny Liu of the American Chinese Commerce Development Association, (ACCDA); and Li Li, managing director of the Chinese American Business Development Center, (CABDC), were part of a well received panel on China and the Caribbean that was moderated by Arthur Piccolo of the Bowling Green Association.

The panel was presented by the Sino-American Friendship Association, (SAFA) and supported by ACCDA and the CABDC.

Additionally, US-based; Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd; the “ICN 2013 Corporate Leadership Award” winner, discussed its US$200 million in investments in the Caribbean region over the past ten years.

The event was the most promoted of the Caribbean Week activities with media placements in over one thousand media outlets, including CNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal.

Invest Caribbean Now is organized annually by The Caribbean Tourism Organization and digital media solutions company, Hard Beat Communications, during Caribbean Week in New York. The event is the brain child of Persaud and is now in its third year.

Kara Coleman, news anchor of One Caribbean Television emceed the forum which was sponsored by Avalon Partners; The Turks & Caicos Islands Investment Agency; Royal Caribbean Cruise, Ltd; One Caribbean Television, The Chinese American Business Development Center, the American Chinese Commerce Development Association and No-Jet-Lag.

2013 media partners included the PR Newswire, CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now, WINN FM of St. Kitts, South Florida Caribbean, Caribseek, Antigua Tribune, Bahamas Spectator, Barbados Gazette, British Caribbean News, Caribbean ET Roundup, Caribbean Financials, Cuba Chronicle, Dominica Gazette, Dominican Republic Post, Dutch Caribbean News, French Caribbean News, Grenada Chronicle, Guyana Inquirer, Haiti Gazette, Jamaica Inquirer, Puerto Rico Tribune, St. Kitts Gazette, St. Lucia Chronicle, St. Vincent Tribune, Trinidad Tribune, the Bajan Reporter, The Bahamas Weekly and Bahamas Local.

For more including additional photos and videos of the speeches and presentations stay logged on to InvestCaribbeanNow.com.

Mr. Alan Loewenstein, managing partner of Wedgewood Investment Group delivered the keynote address at the 2013 Avalon Invest Caribbean Now forum in New York city on June 5, 2013. (Hayden Roger Celestin image)

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. June 7, 2013: “The ‘Caribbean is ripe for significant investments to spur the region in sustained economic and human growth.”

That’s the consensus of 30-year investment veteran, Alan Loewenstein, managing partner of Wedgewood Investment Group. In delivering the keynote speech at the 2013 Avalon Invest Caribbean Now forum in New York City on Wednesday, June 5^th, Loewenstein said “the government that can lure the most investment will be the long term winner because these investments will spur the local economy.”

He said the Caribbean is a safer bet for investors compared to Africa and Latin America since growth in the LATAM has much more political risk than the Caribbean while investments in Africa is “still too early stage with unstable governments that cause the potential for tremendous risk.”

“Investments now will be on the ground level of a growth and a building boom that will spur more growth in the future,” predicted Lowenstein, adding that the time to buy is when valuations are cheap.

But he said governments must do their part to attract the baby boomers and new millionaires and billionaires who are growing globally including in China and Russia.

“These people are accustomed to the modern conveniences of society,” said Loewenstein, so to entice them to come, all the technology needs to be in place, the marina has to be built, the service industry has to be trained and all the comforts of home need to be transported and this requires significant investment.”

For the full speech from Mr. Loewenstein log on here or to http://investcaribbeannow.com/presentations/

Other speakers and presenters at the Avalon ICN 2013 included Anthony Eterno of the Caribbean Affairs Office of the Western Hemisphere Division of the U.S. State Department; Dr. Rufus Ewing, Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands; C. Washington Misick, finance minister of the Turks & Caicos Islands; Felicia Persaud, founder of Invest Caribbean Now and CMO at Hard Beat Communications; Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization and Commissioner of tourism of the USVI, Beverly Nicholson Doty; Miguel Reyna, director, Port Business Development and Asset Management, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.; Heather Flossiac of Belle Vue Properties of St. Lucia; E. Jay Saunders, CEO of Digicel TCI; Brian Lilly, founder of One Caribbean Television and Ganesh Ramanathan, creative director at Hard Beat Communications; Dr. Grace Lappin of Avalon Partners, Inc. and Arthur Piccolo of the Bowling Green Association.

Private sector attendees included representatives from JP Morgan Chase, Nomura, Aegis Capital, Merrill Lynch, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd, Frontier Markets Capital, Ltd.; Waterloo Investments Holdings Ltd.; RBC Merchant Bank Caribbbean; efm Hospitality; CIBC World Markets; RBC Royal Bank and Ibis Investments among others. 

Over twelve dozen delegates attended the Avalon Invest Caribbean Now Forum at the Radisson Martinique Hotel in mid-town, Manhattan, including Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands, Dr. Rufus Ewing and his Minister of Finance C. Washington Misick; Minister of Tourism & International Transport, International Trade, Industry, Commerce & Consumer Affairs St. Kitts, Ricky Skerritt; Minister for Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries, St. Lucia, Lorne Theophilus; Minister of Tourism Nevis, Mark Brantley; Minister of Tourism of Antigua & Barbuda, John Maginley; Minister of Tourism, Sports & Culture, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Cecil McKie; Assemblyman Tracy Davidson-Celestine, Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary, Division of Tourism and Transportation, Tobago; Nicolaas Sneek, Commissioner, St. Eustacius; Minister of Tourism of The Bahamas, Obie Wilchcombe and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, and Commissioner of the United States Virgin Islands, Beverly Nicholson Doty.; Parliamentary Secretary of Tourism of Anguilla, Haydn Hughes; Juliana Johan-Boodram, Permanent Secretary of Trinidad & Tobago’s Ministry of Tourism; and Russell Harrigan, chairman of the Board of Directors of the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board.

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean International copped the prestigious “ICN Corporate Leadership Award” for 2013 for it’s over $200,000,000 investments in the Caribbean region in the past 10 years.

Invest Caribbean Now is the brain child of Felicia Persaud and is now in its third year.

Kara Coleman, news anchor of One Caribbean Television emceed the forum which was sponsored by Avalon Partners; The Turks & Caicos Islands Investment Agency; Royal Caribbean Cruise, Ltd; One Caribbean Television, the American Chinese Commerce Development Association  and The Chinese American Business Development Center.

For 2013 presentations log on here or http://investcaribbeannow.com/presentations/

For more including additional photos and videos of the speeches and presentations stay logged on to InvestCaribbeanNow.com.

Turks & Caicos Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing addressing guests at the TCI sponsored Avalon ICN VIP party on June 4, 2013. (Hayden Roger Celestin image)

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. May 5, 2013: More than a dozen Caribbean governments will gather in New York City this morning for the third annual Invest Caribbean Now Forum.

Two premiers, a chief minister, a governor; seven ministers of governments and two commissioners will join more than a hundred delegates, including from China; the U.S. government and the private sector for the Avalon Invest Caribbean Now Forum at the Radisson Hotel in mid-town, Manhattan.

The event comes on the heels of last night’s opening reception for speakers, sponsors and VIPS, which was hosted by the Turks & Caicos Islands Investment Agency and the Government of the Turks & Caicos Islands at the Yale Club in NYC.

In brief remarks, Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands, Dr. Rufus Ewing, insisted his country is open for business.

Governments who will attend the forum today will include Dr. Orlando Smith, Premier of the British Virgin Islands; Chief Minister of Anguilla, Hubert Hughes;  Governor John De Jong, Jr. of the United States Virgin Islands; Finance Minister Washington Misick of the Turks & Caicos Islands;  Minister of Tourism of Trinidad Stephen Cadiz; Minister of Tourism of Antigua, John Maginley; Minister of Tourism, Nevis, Mark Brantley; Minister of Tourism, Sports & Culture, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Cecil McKie; Minister of Tourism & International Transport, International Trade, Industry, Commerce & Consumer Affairs of St. Kitts, Ricky Skerritt and Minister for Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries, St. Lucia, Lorne Theophilus; Commissioner of Tourism for the US Virgin Islands and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, Beverly Nicholson Doty; Commissioner, St. Eustacius, Nicholas Sneek and Assemblyman Tracy Davidson-Celestine, Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary, Division of Tourism and Transportation of Tobago were among governmental dignitaries.

Anthony Eterno of the Caribbean Affairs Office of the US State Department, who will speak on the US’ view on investing in the Caribbean and Xiaoguang Liu, Consul in charge of economic & commercial affairs at the Consulate General of China in New York, will also speak on Wednesday morning on the China-Caribbean opportunities that exist as part of a panel on China and the Caribbean.

The sold out Forum will begin at 8:30 a.m. sharp with a welcome by emcee Kara Coleman, news anchor of One Caribbean Television and opening remarks from founder of ICN and CMO of Hard Beat Communications, Felicia Persaud.

This will be followed by remarks from CTO Chair Nicholson-Doty and a speech by Eterno; Premier Dr. Ewing and his finance minister, Washington Misick.

Two panels will then follow – one on Development, Tourism & Beyond with Heather Flossiac of Belle Vue Properties of St. Lucia; E. Jay Saunders, CEO of Digicel TCI; Brian Lilly, founder of One Caribbean Television and Ganesh Ramanathan, creative director at Hard Beat Communications and the other on China and the Caribbean that will feature Liu; Johnny Liu of the American Chinese Commerce Development Association and Li Li, managing director of the Chinese American Business Development Center.

The panels will be moderated respectively, by Dr. Grace Lappin, managing director of Avalon Partners and Arthur Piccolo of the New Sports Group, who is replacing Martin Mohabeer of Spackman Capital.

The formal forum will wrap up at 10:30 a.m. with a presentation by Miguel Reyna – Director, Port Business Development and Asset Management, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd and the ICN corporate leadership award presentation to Royal Caribbean International. An hour long doing business and networking session will bring the curtains down on ICN 2013.

The Avalon Invest Caribbean Now Forum comes on the heels of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s Caribbean trip on May 28^th for the signing of the United States – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, (TIFA) and the first visit to Trinidad & Tobago by the Chinese President Xi Jinping, which will take place from May 31 to June 2.

Invest Caribbean Now is organized annually by The Caribbean Tourism Organization and digital media solutions company, Hard Beat Communications, during Caribbean Week in New York.

ICN 2013 is sponsored by marquee sponsor Avalon Partners; gold sponsors, The Turks & Caicos Islands Investment Agency and Royal Caribbean Cruise, Ltd; bronze sponsor, One Caribbean Television and supporting sponsors, The Chinese American Business Development Center, the American Chinese Commerce Development Association and No-Jet-Lag.

2013 media partners include the PR Newswire, CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now, WINN FM of St. Kitts, South Florida Caribbean, Caribseek, Antigua Tribune, Bahamas Spectator, Barbados Gazette, British Caribbean News, Caribbean ET Roundup, Caribbean Financials, Cuba Chronicle, Dominica Gazette, Dominican Republic Post, Dutch Caribbean News, French Caribbean News, Grenada Chronicle, Guyana Inquirer, Haiti Gazette, Jamaica Inquirer, Puerto Rico Tribune, St. Kitts Gazette, St. Lucia Chronicle, St. Vincent Tribune, Trinidad Tribune, the Bajan Reporter, The Bahamas Weekly and Bahamas Local.

For more, log on to InvestCaribbeanNow.com.

Anthony Eterno, U.S. State Department, Office of Caribbean Affairs, Western Hemisphere and Xiaoguang Liu, consul in charge of economic & commercial affairs of the Consulate General of China in New York are among the ICN 2013 speakers.

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. May 31, 2013: Investment in the Caribbean region is bringing together a unique coalition for Caribbean American Heritage Month this June, as the United States, China and the Caribbean unite for Invest Caribbean Now 2013.

The sold out Forum on June 5th at the Radisson Martinique Hotel in New York City, comes on the heels of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s Caribbean trip on May 28^th for the signing of the United States – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, (TIFA) and the first visit to Trinidad & Tobago by the Chinese President Xi Jinping, which will take place from May 31 to June 2.

Xiaoguang Liu, consul in charge of economic & commercial affairs at the Consulate of China in New York will headline a panel on China’s growing interests in the Caribbean. Other panelists will include Jianxin Lin, chairman of the American Chinese Commerce Development Association, (ACCDA); and Li Li, managing director of the Chinese American Business Development Center, (CABDC). The Sino-American Friendship Association (SAFA) will present the panel, which will be supported by ACCDA and the CABDC and moderated by Martin Mohabeer, managing director of Spackman Group, a Hong-Kong based venture capital firm.

As well, Anthony Eterno, of the Office of Caribbean Affairs in the Western Hemisphere Division in the U.S. State Department, will discuss key issues regarding American investment in the Caribbean Additionally, US-based; Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd will discuss its investments in the Caribbean region before an audience that will include over a dozen Caribbean premiers and ministers of government.

In 2012, U.S. imports from Caribbean countries under the Caribbean Basin Initiative totalled more than $11 billion, representing a 178 percent increase over the past decade. U.S. exports equalled nearly $12 billion, representing a 133 percent increase over the past decade.

In 2011, China announced it would lend $6.3 billion to Caribbean governments, adding considerably to the hundreds of millions of dollars in loans, grants and other forms of economic assistance it has already channelled in the past decade.

Invest Caribbean Now is organized annually by The Caribbean Tourism Organization and digital media solutions company, Hard Beat Communications, during Caribbean Week in New York.

ICN 2013 is sponsored by marquee sponsor Avalon Partners; gold sponsors, The Turks & Caicos Islands Investment Agency and Royal Caribbean Cruise, Ltd; bronze sponsor, One Caribbean Television and supporting sponsors, The Chinese American Business Development Center, the American Chinese Commerce Development Association and No-Jet-Lag.

Speakers and panellists confirmed for ICN 2013 are:

Anthony Eterno, U.S. State Department, Office of Caribbean Affairs, Western Hemisphere;

Dr. Rufus Ewing, Premier Turks & Caicos Islands, (TCI);

Washington Misick, Finance Minister, Turks & Caicos Islands;

Beverly Nicholson-Doty, Chairman, Caribbean Tourism Organization, (CTO) and Commissioner Tourism, USVI;

Alan Lowenstein, managing director, Wedgewood Investment Group;

E. Jay Saunders, CEO, Digicel TCI;

Heather Floissac, managing director, Belle Vue Properties, Ltd;

Brian Lilly, CEO, Lilly Broadcasting and One Caribbean Television;

Adam Goldstein, president, Royal Caribbean International;

Miguel Reyna, director, port business development and asset management, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.;

Dr. Grace Lappin, managing director, Avalon Partners;

Xiaoguang Liu, consul in charge of economic & commercial affairs of the Consulate General of China in New York;

Jianxin Lin, chairman of the American Chinese Commerce Development Association, (ACCDA);

Li Li, managing director of the Chinese American Business Development Center, (CABDC);

Ganesh Ramanathan, creative director, Hard Beat Communications;

Felicia Persaud, CMO, Hard Beat Communications.

Other government attendees will include:

Premier Dr. Orlando Smith of the British Virgin Islands;

John Percy de Jongh, Jr,   Governor, US Virgin Islands;

Chief Minister Hubert Hughes of Anguilla;

Senator Ricky Skerritt, Minister Tourism & International Transport, International Trade, Industry, Commerce & Consumer Affairs, St. Kitts;

Lorne Theophilus, Minister Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries, St. Lucia;

Stephen Cadiz, Minister Tourism, Trinidad & Tobago;

Assemblyman Tracy Davidson-Celestine, Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary, Division of Tourism and Transportation of Tobago;

Mark Brantley, Minister Tourism, Nevis;

Nicolaas Sneek, Commissioner St. Eustatius;

John Maginley, tourism minister of Antigua & Barbuda;

Damion Crawford, minister of state, Jamaica;

Maryse Noel of Haiti

and Hugh Riley, secretary general, Caribbean Tourism Organization, (CTO).

Private sector representatives will include senior executives from JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Nomura, CIBC World Capital, Ibis Investments, Aegis Capital, Portfolio Credit Management Limited, DHL, Marriott International, Spackman Capital, Royal Caribbean Cruise, Ltd., One Caribbean Television, Avalon Partners, Digicel, TCI, Scotiabank TCI and Sun Realty among others.

2013 media partners include the PR Newswire, CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now, WINN FM of St. Kitts, South Florida Caribbean, Caribseek, Antigua Tribune, Bahamas Spectator, Barbados Gazette, British Caribbean News, Caribbean ET Roundup, Caribbean Financials, Cuba Chronicle, Dominica Gazette, Dominican Republic Post, Dutch Caribbean News, French Caribbean News, Grenada Chronicle, Guyana Inquirer, Haiti Gazette, Jamaica Inquirer, Puerto Rico Tribune, St. Kitts Gazette, St. Lucia Chronicle, St. Vincent Tribune, Trinidad Tribune, the Bajan Reporter, The Bahamas Weekly and Bahamas Local.

For more, log on to InvestCaribbeanNow.com.

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. May 13, 2013: The Obama administration is sending a representative to Invest Caribbean Now this June, as the Caribbean Diaspora in the U.S. gears up for Caribbean American Heritage Month and Caribbean Week in New York.

Anthony Eterno, of the U.S. State Department’s Office of Caribbean Affairs, Western Hemisphere division, will attend the June 5^th forum in New York City and speak on the US’ views on trade and investment in the Caribbean.

Eterno is a 15-year veteran diplomat with the Department who has worked in the Caribbean for close to two years and whose expertise includes economic affairs.

Invest Caribbean Now is organized annually by The Caribbean Tourism Organization and digital media solutions company, Hard Beat Communications, during Caribbean Week in New York. This year it is being presented by marquee sponsor, Avalon Partners in conjunction with The Turks & Caicos Islands Investment Agency and One Caribbean Television.

This year the event is set for the Radisson Martinique hotel in New York City from 7:30- to 11:30 a.m. and will be preceded by an invitation only reception at The Yale Club on June 4^th.

Other speakers will include Alan Lowenstein of Wedgewood Investment Group; Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands, Dr. Rufus Ewing; Finance Minister of the Turks & Caicos Islands, Washington Misick and panellists on Development Tourism as well as on China and the Caribbean.

Government attendees will include Governor of the US Virgin Islands, John Percy de Jongh, Jr; Chief Minister of Anguilla, Hubert Hughes; Chairman of the CTO and Commissioner of Tourism For the USVI, Beverly Nicholson Doty; Minister of Tourism & International Transport, International Trade, Industry, Commerce & Consumer Affairs St. Kitts, Ricky Skerritt; Lorne Theophilus, Minister for Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries, St. Lucia; Stephen Cadiz, Minister of Tourism, Trinidad &  Tobago; Orville London, Sec. of the House of Assembly, Tobago; Assemblyman Tracy Davidson-Celestine, Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary, Division of Tourism and Transportation – Tobago and Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, Hugh Riley. Private sector reps will come from JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Nomura, CIBC World Capital, Ibis Investments, Aegis Capital, Portfolio Credit Management Limited, DHL, Marriott International, Spackman Capital, the Lugano Group, Damoola, One Caribbean Television, Avalon Partners, Digicel, TCI and Scotiabank TCI.

Only a few tickets at $185 each are still available for the June 5th forum at http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=7phqhyn6&oeidk=a07e6oz57kp0f880fbe

Supplementary information on the event can be found on the event’s pages on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/invest.caribbean and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/InvestingCarib

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. May 3, 2013: The deadline for exhibitors and advertisers to sign up for the Avalon Invest Caribbean Now 2013 forum is drawing to a close and so is the opportunity to reach and do business with almost a dozen Caribbean governments, investors and high net worth delegates.

Invest Caribbean Now, (ICN), which is presented annually by The Caribbean Tourism Organization, (CTO), and digital media solutions company, Hard Beat Communications during Caribbean Week in New York and Caribbean American Heritage Month in the United States, is set for June 5^th from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Radisson Martinique Hotel, 49 West 32 Street in New York City. An invitation only VIP reception at The Yale Club, presented by The Government of The Turks & Caicos Islands, will precede the event on June 4th.

The definitive Caribbean investment forum, will feature a United Nations-type “general assembly” of ministers from about a dozen nations from the Caribbean, including a delegation from the Turks & Caicos Islands led by Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing Finance Minister and Washington Misick; Minister of Tourism & International Transport, International Trade, Industry, Commerce & Consumer Affairs St. Kitts, Ricky Skerritt; Chief Minister of Anguilla, Hubert Hughes; Minister for Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries, St. Lucia, Lorne Theophilus; Chairman of the CTO and Commissioner of Tourism for the USVI, Beverly Nicholson Doty and Assemblyman Tracy Davidson-Celestine, Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary, Division of Tourism and Transportation of Tobago, among others.

Only six exhibitor table spots are available and four ad spots remain in the 2013 Program Directory. Interested companies can email Joe Bernstein at [email protected] before May 7^th to sign up or get more information at http://investcaribbeannow.com/partnership-options/

Speakers will include Alan Loewenstein of Wedgewood Capital; Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing and Minister Washington Misick of the Turks & Caicos Islands; Sun Guoxiang, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in New York City; Chair of the CTO, Beverly Nicholson-Doty, Brian Lilly, CEO of Lilly Broadcasting and One Caribbean Television, Ganesh Ramanathan of Hard Beat Communications, and Grace Lappin of Avalon Partners.

Tickets for the June 5th forum are now $185 and only a few remain at http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=7phqhyn6&oeidk=a07e6oz57kp0f880fbe

Invest Caribbean Now is the most promoted event on the Caribbean Week in New York calendar, with over 200 media placements to date in the US, Caribbean and Latin American media and advertising via 30 media partners – on television, on radio and the web.

ICN 2013 is made possible with sponsorship dollars from marquee sponsor Avalon Partners, gold and reception sponsor, The Government of the Turks & Caicos Islands; and bronze sponsor, One Caribbean Television.

Delegates at ICN 2012. (Sharon Bennett image)

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. April 26, 2013: Invest Caribbean Now officials are urging all Caribbean nationals and friends of the Caribbean to assist those who suffered from the Boston terror bombing on April 15th.

Felicia Persaud, the organizer of Invest Caribbean Now, said everyone should put the victims of the attack and Boston first. Invest Caribbean Now, while still seeking support for its next event, took time to make a donation to the Boston Fund. Persaud urges everyone involved to do the same.  ”If we can set an example in our own small way we hope that is worth something,” she said.

Boston is made up of some 27 percent of Caribbean immigrants.“Caribbean nationals have lived in the United States since during slavery and continue to build this country up not tear it down,” said ICN officials. “So it is important for us to show our love and support in a tangible way for this our adopted homeland. We hope all Caribbean nationals and friends of ICN will support the people of Boston in this tragedy.”

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino have announced the creation of “The One Fund Boston,” which will raise money to help those affected by the tragic events that unfolded during the Marathon.

Invest Caribbean Now is being presented this year by Avalon Partners in conjunction with The Caribbean Tourism Organization; digital media solutions company, Hard Beat Communications and One Caribbean Television, during Caribbean Week in New York.

Attendees this year will get the chance to learn about investment opportunities in the Turks & Caicos from its premier, Dr. Rufus Ewing and the country’s Minister of Finance C. Washington Misick while also getting a chance to meet ministers of government from several other territories.

Additionally, there will be panels of development, tourism and beyond as well as a discussion on China’s growing involvement in the Caribbean and the special presentation to this year’s corporate leadership award winner.

Early bird tickets for ICN 2013 will be available only through April 30^th at http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=7phqhyn6&oeidk=a07e6oz57kp0f880fbe. Persons seeking tables of 10 are also urged to book before April 30^th at http://investcaribbeannow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Tablesponsor.pdf

A US$500 journal ad offer is available through April 30^th at http://investcaribbeannow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ProgramJournal.pdf for companies who would like to target the high end audience but cannot be present. The half-page color ad will be published in the event’s journal and stay archived on the website, InvestCaribbeanNow.com for year-round exposure.

Partners for ICN 2013 are: Avalon Partners, One Caribbean Television, The PR Newswire, CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now, Caribbean Lifestyle Communications of Trinidad, WINN FM of St. Kitts, South Florida Caribbean, Caribseek, The Bahamas Weekly, the Bajan Reporter , Antigua Tribune, Bahamas Spectator, Barbados Gazette, British Caribbean News, Caribbean ET Roundup, Caribbean Financials, Cuba Chronicle, Dominica Gazette, Dominican Republic Post, Dutch Caribbean News, French Caribbean News, Grenada Chronicle, Guyana Inquirer, Haiti Gazette, Jamaica Inquirer, Puerto Rico Tribune, St. Kitts Gazette, St. Lucia Chronicle, St. Vincent Tribune, Trinidad Tribune, and Bahamas Local.

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. April 12, 2013: The Caribbean’s region’s diverse investment options go way beyond its talents like Barbados-born Rihanna, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt and Trinidad & Tobago’s Nicki Minaj.

Those options will be up for discussion when Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands as well as over a dozen other Caribbean ministers of governments gather for the international investment forum, Avalon Invest Caribbean Now 2013, (ICN 2013), on June 5th at the Radisson Martinique in New York City.

“Contrary to popular opinion, the Caribbean region is not just a vacation destination but a region that is rich in its diversity of  investment opportunities and talent, like we have seen in Rihanna, Usain and Nicki among others,” commented Invest Caribbean Now organizers.

“U.S. and Latin American investors in alternative markets would be well advised to look at this last emerging market on earth that is attractive to Chinese and Russian investors as well and make it a date to attend Invest Caribbean Now.”

Invest Caribbean Now is presented annually by The Caribbean Tourism Organization; digital media solutions company, Hard Beat Communications and One Caribbean Television, during Caribbean Week in New York, which falls during Caribbean American Heritage Month in the United States.

Limited partnership opportunities are still available by contacting Joe Bernstein at [email protected] or logging on to ICN’s brand new website at Investcaribbeannow.com.

Tickets for the June 5th forum are also still available. Register today at http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=7phqhyn6&oeidk=a07e6oz57kp0f880fbe

Supplementary information on the event can be found on the event’s pages on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/invest.caribbean and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/InvestingCarib

Partners for ICN 2013 are: Avalon Partners, One Caribbean Television, The PR Newswire, CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now, Caribbean Lifestyle Communications of Trinidad, WINN FM of St. Kitts, South Florida Caribbean, Caribseek, Antigua Tribune, Bahamas Spectator, Barbados Gazette, British Caribbean News, Caribbean ET Roundup, Caribbean Financials, Cuba Chronicle, Dominica Gazette, Dominican Republic Post, Dutch Caribbean News, French Caribbean News, Grenada Chronicle, Guyana Inquirer, Haiti Gazette, Jamaica Inquirer, Puerto Rico Tribune, St. Kitts Gazette, St. Lucia Chronicle, St. Vincent Tribune, Trinidad Tribune, the Bajan Reporter and The Bahamas Weekly.

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Tues April 2, 2013: Following an announcement cancelling the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference, (CHTIC), Invest Caribbean Now 2013, (ICN 2013), officials reiterated this week that ICN 2013 is going strong and on for June 4 and 5th in New York City.  ICN 2013 is now the only investment forum on the Caribbean region confirmed for 2013.

Grace Lappin, managing director of Avalon Partners and the marquee sponsor of Invest Caribbean Now 2013, said ICN is the definitive investment forum which has brought together over 600 high powered investors and Caribbean government officials in the past two years. This year it is returning in an expanded form, with a June 4th pre-forum VIP cocktail reception at The Yale Club and the major event the following morning at the Radisson Martinique Hotel.

Lappin said ICN 2013 is saddened to hear of the cancellation of CHIC, but insisted that the ICN 2013 forum is more than ready to fill the void by providing a platform to connect overseas businesses and investors with investment opportunities in the Caribbean. This year’s expanded format will ensure organizers reach their goal of boosting foreign direct investment in the region through ICN’s exclusive match-making platform.

“The event will begin on June 4th from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Yale Club with a private VIP cocktail reception while the June 5th forum will see ICN2013 focus on real investment opportunities in this emerging market from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Radisson Martinique hotel in NYC.  Targeted discussions and panel presentations will include a spotlight on the Turks & Caicos Islands; attention to the Jamaica Stock Exchange as well as an exploration of opportunities across the region,” said Lappin. “Real estate and marina development options will also be shared while our major corporate awardee will be announced.”

Sponsorship opportunities are still available by contacting Joe Bernstein at [email protected] or logging on to ICN’s brand new website at Investcaribbeannow.com.

Limited tickets for the June 5th forum are available. Register today at http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=7phqhyn6&oeidk=a07e6oz57kp0f880fbe

Media partners for ICN 2013 are: One Caribbean Television, The PR Newswire, CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now, Caribbean Lifestyle Communications of Trinidad, WINN FM of St. Kitts, South Florida Caribbean, Caribseek, Antigua Tribune, Bahamas Spectator, Barbados Gazette, British Caribbean News, Caribbean ET Roundup, Caribbean Financials, Cuba Chronicle, Dominica Gazette, Dominican Republic Post, Dutch Caribbean News, French Caribbean News, Grenada Chronicle, Guyana Inquirer, Haiti Gazette, Jamaica Inquirer, Puerto Rico Tribune, St. Kitts Gazette, St. Lucia Chronicle, St. Vincent Tribune, Trinidad Tribune, the Bajan Reporter and The Bahamas Weekly.

Supplementary information on the event can be found on the event’s pages on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/invest.caribbean and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/InvestingCarib

Li Ruogu of the Export-Import Bank of China finances a resort in the Bahamas ((AP Photo/Tim Aylen)

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. March 22, 2013: Chinese businesses looking at investment opportunities in the Caribbean are coming to the Avalon Partners Invest Caribbean Now power forum in New York City this June, set for the Radisson Martinique Hotel.

Digital media solutions company, Hard Beat Communications, which presents the annual forum in association with the Caribbean Tourism Organization, is this year also teaming up with the Chinese American Business Development Center to put the spotlight on Chinese foreign direct investment in the region. According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, investments in the Caribbean by China totaled nearly $7 billion in 2009, a more than 300 percent increase from the 2004 foreign direct investment of $1.7 billion.

In commenting on the partnership, Peter Zhang, President of the Chinese American Business Development Center, said: “We are very happy to be a partner of Invest Caribbean Now 2013, and although it’s the first year of our collaboration, we look forward to many years together and to providing a great platform for Chinese investors to understand and learn more about investment opportunities in the Caribbean.”

“In recent years, the Chinese have quickly expanded their business activities in the Caribbean region,” he added. “As those countries continue to develop, China will undoubtedly play a significant role in their business progress and advancement. We are confident this event would be a great opportunity for China and Caribbean governments and enterprises as well as U.S. investors, to communicate and achieve a win-win solution.”

Felicia Persaud, founder of Invest Caribbean Now, welcomed the partnership, noting that with growing Chinese investments in the region, and with millions of Chinese traveling abroad annually, the Chinese American Business Development Center’s involvement in ICN 2013 will only help to boost more interest and investment in the economically viable Caribbean region.

The Chinese American Business Development Center will bring together businesses from China interested in doing business in the Caribbean to be a part of the forum. Additionally, China’s Economic Counsel is expected to address delegates, who will include Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing of the Turks & Caicos Islands, as well as over a dozen ministers of government from the Caribbean, on why this region is such an attractive investment destination.

Invest Caribbean Now 2013, which will be more expansive and longer this year, with a broader focus from panels on the Caribbean and investment opportunities there, will be held on June 5^th from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in New York City. A private VIP reception will be held on June 4^th at The Yale Club.

More information on the event is available on ICN’s brand new website, which was launched this week at InvestCaribbeanNow.com.

Media partners for ICN 2013 are: One Caribbean Television, The PR Newswire, CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now, Caribbean Lifestyle Communications of Trinidad, WINN FM of St. Kitts, South Florida Caribbean, Caribseek, Antigua Tribune, Bahamas Spectator, Barbados Gazette, British Caribbean News, Caribbean ET Roundup, Caribbean Financials, Cuba Chronicle,Dominica Gazette,Dominican Republic Post, Dutch Caribbean News, French Caribbean News, Grenada Chronicle, Guyana Inquirer, Haiti Gazette, Jamaica Inquirer, Puerto Rico Tribune, St. Kitts Gazette, St. Lucia Chronicle, St. Vincent Tribune, Trinidad Tribune, The Bajan Reporter and The Bahamas Weekly.

Limited partnership and speaker/panellist opportunities are currently still available. For more information email Joe Bernstein at [email protected]

Limited tickets for the June 5^th forum are available. Register today at http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=7phqhyn6&oeidk=a07e6oz57kp0f880fbe

Supplementary information on the event can be found on the event’s pages on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/invest.caribbean and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/InvestingCarib

Panelists at the 2012 Invest Caribbean Now forum in NYC in June 2012. (Sharon Bennett image)

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Jan. 25, 2013:  Investment opportunities in the last emerging market on earth will again take the spotlight this June 5^th as luxury real estate company, Avalon Partners, presents the third edition of the Invest Caribbean Now Power Forum, ICN 2013, during Caribbean Week in New York City.

The event, organized since 2011 by award-winning digital media solutions company, Hard Beat Communications, in conjunction with the governmental regional tourism grouping, the Caribbean Tourism Organization, has attracted a high caliber of delegates in the past two years, including over 600 investment bankers, private equity investors, ministers’ of governments, hotel developers, tourism officials, architects, real estate developers, financial advisers, entrepreneurs and the media.

In 2013, the Avalon-presented forum will be more expansive, with a longer event and broader focus on the Caribbean and investment opportunities there through invited exhibitors from the regional arms of the various investment agencies as well as other companies.

A stellar agenda is already being developed that will include spotlighting the investment opportunities in the economically viable territory of  The Turks & Caicos Islands, with attendance slated from a cadre of government and business leaders. Additionally, the forum will feature an address on The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, (FATCA) & The Caribbean, by a deputy secretary in the U.S. Department of the Treasury; Investing In The Caribbean Stock Exchanges – The Case Of Jamaica, by head of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, Mrs. Marlene Street, as well as opportunities in luxury real estate and marina development.

Invest Caribbean Now founder and Hard Beat Communications, CEO, Felicia Persaud, welcomed the partnership with Avalon for 2013.

“We are very excited to welcome Avalon as presenters this year in a forum that is definitively dedicated to connecting U.S. investors with opportunities in what is truly the last emerging market on earth – the Caribbean,” said Persaud. “Avalon Partners attended this event in our inaugural year and this year they are our lead sponsor – which shows we are doing something right.”

Grace Lappin, managing partner of Avalon Partners, Ltd., and Tropical Destinations Expert for The Language of Luxury, said the company’s marquee sponsorship of ICN 2013 marks Avalon’s commitment and dedication to promoting the region through the Invest Caribbean Now Forum.

“As someone who has worked in the Caribbean real estate market for many years, I feel it is critical to support this important event. ICN is a groundbreaking forum that spotlights the economic viability of this region, a region often overlooked even by savvy investors. We hope our emphasis and outreach will encourage investors to revisit this region’s rich potential and support its rightful placement in the global economy.” said Lappin.

Additional partners for ICN 2013 are One Caribbean Television, The PR Newswire, CaribPR Wire and News Americas Now.  For partnership and special sponsorship/branding opportunities log on to here or email Joe Bernstein at [email protected].

About Invest Caribbean Now:

The Invest Caribbean Now forum is the brainchild of Persaud, whose goal is to boost U.S. investors’ interest and investment in the region of her birth. Since its inaugural year, the event has earned rave reviews  and secured significant media coverage for its high powered attendees and presentations from top panelists, including: Wendell Dave Dowrich, vice president, Goldman Sachs; David Brillembourg, founder, chairman & chief executive officer, Brilla Group; Martin Mohabeer, managing director, Spackman Group and CEO of Spackman Capital; President and co-founder of Solamon Energy Corp, Jay Yeo; Chairman and Managing Director of Blue Equity, LLC., Jonathan S. Blue and Lisa Lake, head of The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship – Caribbean.

Supplementary information on the event can be found at InvestCaribbeanNow.com, the event’s pages on Facebook and on Twitter. When tweeting about this event, use #InvestCarib.

About Avalon Partners

Avalon Partners is a luxury boutique firm specializing in incomparable personalized service. Its client base spans the globe and seeks out Avalon because of the company’s integrity, experience, and dedication, as well as its reputation for excellence. The company represents owners, financiers, and developers of unique properties, luxurious villas, ocean front estates, exceptional homes, and investment and commercial properties.