The Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague.
THE HAGUE/PHILIPSBURG--The Cabinet of St. Maarten’s Minister Plenipotentiary, in collaboration with St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), will host a special lunch meeting on Tuesday, September 10. This meeting will assist in preparing interested European-based companies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that will visit St. Maarten during the St. Maarten Innovations, Initiatives and Industries Link-up Event (SMILE).
This event will also cater to St. Maarteners based in Europe who may be interested in scaling their business or establishing stronger commercial ties with the island. SMILE will take place at the University of St. Martin (USM) on October 25-26, and is meant for companies, investors, NGOs, policy advisors and individuals interested in expanding their business in St. Maarten.
Plenipotentiary Minister Jorien Wuite is looking forward to kicking off SMILE activities with this pre-event at her Cabinet. “The topics of innovation, bottom-up societal initiatives and sustainable development that stimulate St. Maarten’s economy are close to our hearts at the Cabinet. By providing a bridge between European-based investors and St. Maarten companies with the SMILE platform, we hope to positively contribute to the economic recovery,” she said.
SMILE was created in 2018 to highlight innovative and sustainable companies and NGO projects and to facilitate business-to-business networking. Last year’s edition attracted over 300 visitors from 89 organisations representing nine countries.
The event once again enjoys the committed involvement of its founder SHTA, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI), ORCO Bank, Global Resourcing, Aruba’s 360 degrees of Innovation, and USM.
Like last year, SMILE will provide updates, tips and suggestions on taking part in World Bank tenders for domestic and foreign companies. SMILE serves as a platform for specialised foreign companies looking to form joint ventures with St. Maarten companies to participate in the recovery. Cooperation with St. Maarten companies provides direct advantages to foreign companies, according to a SHTA press release.
As was the case in 2018, fees are kept very low by the organisers and free entry is being offered to NGOs.
For this edition, content will once again be organised around the two main themes of innovation and sustainability, and workshops on marketing, funding and human resource management will also take place. Some other workshop topics include: the power of marketing on islands; the future of work, connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain opportunities; renewable energy; and waste solutions.
In order to facilitate more business opportunities, SMILE will also provide a trade show for organisations that want to share their products and/or services.
Speakers from Aruba, France, the Netherlands and the United States have already been confirmed, and details will be communicated at a later date.
Businesses and NGOs that want to acquire a spot as an exhibitor or as a participant in the SMILE event may obtain more information at +1-721-542-0108 or via e-mail at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Information will also be continuously updated on
www.shta.com/SMILE .
