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Tampa To Host Latin American Retailing Conference

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By RUSSELL RAY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 23, 2008

TAMPA - An international retailing conference to help entrepreneurs develop business partnerships in Latin America will be coming to Tampa in November.

Tampa will be the first U.S. city to host the annual Retailers of the Americas Conference Nov. 20-22. More than 1,000 people, including representatives and business owners from 25 countries, are expected to attend the three-day conference.

"We've brought in other trade missions to Tampa, but not at this level," said Derek Lloyd, president of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay.

Other sites, including Miami, Orlando and New Jersey, were considered, but the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce chose Tampa because of its reputation as a major U.S. business hub and its large Hispanic population.

"We were really impressed with the Hispanic community" in Tampa Bay, said Veronica De La Garza, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "As these corporations and businesses look to do work with the U.S., we thought Tampa would be a great entry into the U.S."

The conference will give U.S. business owners a unique opportunity to explore the potential for expansion in Central and South America, Lloyd said.

"Not only will the dignitaries from the respective countries be attending, but you'll have over 200 South American chambers of commerce attending," Lloyd said. "The Tampa Bay business community will have the opportunity to meet with these people one on one."

The economic boost Tampa will receive from the conference hasn't been determined, but professors at the University of South Florida are working on a projection, Lloyd said.

Although Tampa was selected as the host city, conference organizers have not yet named an exact site. More details are expected to be released during a news conference Wednesday.

Previous host countries include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic.

The U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce represents more the 2.5 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States. According to the chamber, those businesses generate more than $388 billion a year.

Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870 or rray@tampatrib.com.

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