Starting today, Miami is the home of yet another major hemispheric gathering. The International Economic Forum of the Americas has moved one of its biggest events here - from a South Florida neighbor.
The International Economic Forum of the Americas, or IEFA, has become a key platform for issues affecting the Western Hemisphere. The Montreal-based group used to hold its annual World Strategic Forum in Palm Beach County. But it aims to raise its profile now by taking advantage of Miami-Dade’s more Latin American atmosphere.
“I think we’re there for many, many years, as long as Miami will want us to be there," says IEFA President Nicholas Rémillard. "We truly hope that we can generate business investment as well in the region of Miami and Florida.”
More than 500 business, government and academic leaders are expected to attend the IEFA forum on April 13 and 14 at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. This year’s post-recession theme is how to build more resilient economies – and Latin America’s new but precarious global clout.
“In Latin America there’s a lot of questions that need to be addressed, there’s a lot of investors that do have some questions about stability," Rémillard says. "But it is important to address the issue that it is booming in Latin America. Latin America has never been so popular as it is right now.”
Among the featured speakers at this week’s event is U.S. Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg.
