Bridgetown,
Barbados – On January 11, 2013 the Caribbean Export Development Agency
(Caribbean Export) and the Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas signed
an agreement to hold Design Caribbean 2013 from June 20-23, 2013 at the Grand
Lucayan Resort, Freeport Grand Bahama.
The Hon. Michael Darville, Minister for Grand Bahama in his remarks at the
signing event expressed his delight to host Design Caribbean as it “will expose
local artisans and manufacturers to overseas buyers in retail, hospitality,
design, music, film and fashion; thus providing them with opportunities to
exhibit their talents, market and sell their products and services.”
DESIGN CARIBBEAN is the rebranded evolution of the Caribbean Gift and Craft
show (CGCS) aimed at taking the promotion of the creative industries, in
particular the design sector in the region, to new levels of excellence. The
Design Caribbean showcase provides a platform for only the best Caribbean
artisans and designers to show, market and sell their products locally,
regionally and internationally.
In September 2011, the inaugural Design Caribbean showcase provided a platform
to improve the standard and quality of the Caribbean’s Creative Industry to one
that is export ready, sustainable, marketable, and profitable.
Building on the platform laid in 2011, the second staging will focus on further
strengthening the “Design Caribbean” brand, attracting investment and exploring
potential markets (and distributors) for Caribbean Creative Products and
Services.
“The creative industry is one of the few areas within which the Caribbean holds
a competitive advantage. This coupled with the fact that the creative
industry now constitutes the fastest growing sector and industry per capita in
relation to GDP in the world, places Design Caribbean in the centre of a
potentially revolutionary economic landscape that can be created in the
Caribbean” expressed Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of Caribbean
Export.
Caribbean Export shares the responsibility of Design Caribbean with the host
country and the partnership with the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and its
key agencies, the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) and Bahama Agricultural
& Industrial Corporation (BAIC) is important because it is viewed that
“Design Caribbean offers great opportunities, not only for local manufacturers,
but also for the country as a whole and Grand Bahama specifically” said The
Hon. Arnold Forbes, Executive Chairman, Bahamas Agricultural & Industrial
Corporation (BAIC).
The Design Caribbean event is to take place over 4 days and is set to show case
the best of the best the Caribbean has to offer of Caribbean designed
manufactured goods, music, fashion and film.