Registration for the 2015 International Town Hall in St. Pete this May opens today. The $45 event takes a look at what drives international business growth in Tampa Bay.
The town hall on May 8 from 7:30-11:30 a.m. will feature a variety of business speakers at the St. Petersburg Hilton Carillon. The airline company Lufthansa will deliver a keynote presentation and likely include information regarding its new direct flights from Tampa to Germany. Those flights are set to begin later this year.
Other speakers include Rick Homans, president and CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Council; Mike Maidel, director of Pinellas County Economic Development; Davide Downing, executive director of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater; Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay; Paul Anderson, president and CEO of Port Tampa Bay, and Joe Lopano, who heads Tampa International Airport. TIA is sponsoring the event.
Speakers are expected to discuss what happened in the business world last year and what 2015 may have in store. The goal of the talks is to help local businesses and business leaders get a foothold in the international business community.
Panels include sessions on trade, how business affects veterans and future steps to continue growth in the region.
There will also be time for attendees to network and speak with service providers who can help kick off international business opportunities.
The Tampa Hillsborough EDC and Pinellas County Economic Development group will be hosting the town hall. The two groups form the partnership Tampa Bay Export Alliance. Last year the group hosted its first trade mission to Santiago, Chile. Fourteen companies participated and generated some $9 million in real and potential exports for local businesses.
Sponsorships for the event are also available.
