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 joe@investcaribbeannow.com

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 joe@investcaribbeannow.com.

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.