San Juan, Puerto Rico- Entrepreneurs on the island will have the opportunity to participate in a varied program of face-to-face conferences offered by local and international experts, as well as establish business contacts during the next BizCon Expo 2022, a summit event held by the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce (CCPR), which this year will take place on June 9 and 10, 2022 at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan. “We have focused the agenda this year on offering information on a series of key issues that are affecting entrepreneurs economically,” said CPA and past CCPR president Luis Torres Llompart, who leads the PRCC BizCon + Expo 2022. “We encourage all entrepreneurs to participate in this event and all its conferences. The information they will receive will allow them to make more informed and intelligent business decisions,” he added.
For its part, the Lcdo. Luis Gierbolini, president of the CCPR, said that “given the multiple challenges facing our business class, the Chamber of Commerce has decided to assume leadership as the voice of the private sector to contribute to strengthening our competitiveness. This event is a step in that direction, providing our entrepreneurs with highly relevant information from world-class experts in various topics that concern business work.” With an expected attendance of over 300 executives and entrepreneurs, the topics to be discussed aim to provide an international perspective and include the transition to a new energy paradigm, the economic impact of climate change, investment opportunities in real estate, the plan for the recovery of Puerto Rico, innovative business strategies in agriculture, as well as the global outlook for the tourism industry.
Torres Llompart said that the participation of delegations of chambers of commerce that will travel from the state of Florida is expected. He also announced that attendees will enjoy access at no additional cost to networking sessions, exhibitions, forums and awards. On the issue of Puerto Rico’s recovery, Torres Llompart said this is Puerto Rico’s last chance to effectively manage what is the largest amount of money ever granted to any jurisdiction in the nation’s history. To discuss this topic, the event will feature the participation of Hon. Pedro R. Pierluisi, Governor of Puerto Rico; the Hon. William Rodriguez, Secretary of the Department of Housing; and Eng. Manuel Laboy, Executive Director of COR3 (Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience).
Other high-profile speakers include Michael D. Brown, President & Chief Executive Officer of Travel + Leisure Co., who will provide an overview of the tourism industry and the effects of the pandemic internationally and opportunities in this sector; and Frances A. Colón, PhD, an expert in climate science, technology and public policy and a member of President Biden’s Council of Science and Technology Advisors, who will deliver a lecture on climate change. The discussion of energy issues will be attended by Javier Rúa-Jovet, Director of Public Policy of the Solar Energy and Storage Association of Puerto Rico; Mr. Edison Avilés-Deliz, president of the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau; the Lcdo. Fernando Gil-Enseñat, president of the PREPA Governing Board, Francisco Berríos Portela, director of the Public Energy Policy Program of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce of Puerto Rico; and Mr. Michael Grimm, Senior Investment Officer, Office of Loan Programs, U.S. Department of Energy.
This year the results of the 2022 Consumer Confidence Index and the 2022 Entrepreneur Confidence Index will be presented. According to Torres Llompart, the Chamber of Commerce has resumed the presentation of these indices as a new permanent project from the celebration of BizCon Expo 2022. As part of the conference agenda, the impact of blockchain ecosystems on the business environment will be discussed with a panel that will feature the participation of the Lcdo. Fernando Velázquez, CPA, finance director of the Blockchain Trade Center; Ángel García, director of enterprise accounts for Salesforce; and Ubaldo M. Córdova-Figueroa, PhD, executive vice president for research and academic affairs at the University of Puerto Rico. The technology known as blockchain, used to record assets and transactions, is one of high economic potential and is considered one of the bases for the so-called Web3. Its applications include cryptocurrency exchange and smart contracts. The increasing focus on information decentralization has led to an upward trend in the use of blockchain technology. Market research firm Statista projects that the global blockchain market will increase from $11.5 billion this year to nearly $163 billion by 2027. “We want entrepreneurs to understand that blockchain is a revolutionary technology that opens the door to what is envisioned as a new world in digital transactions, which will have a huge impact on the way we do business, including contributory aspects related to the exchange with cryptocurrencies,” Torres Llompart explained.
Recognizing the importance of sovereignty and food security for the Island, the issue of agriculture will also be addressed, from the point of view of innovative business strategies, with the participation of Vanessa Piñeiro Solano, president of the Puerto Rico Farmers Foundation and executive director of the Puerto Rico Farm Bureau; Jorge Ramírez, director of Walmart’s Agribusiness program; Ariel Torres Ramos, President of the Board of Directors of Select Supermarkets; and Miguel A. Rosario Torres, founder of Ricura Caribeña. Finally, it was announced that the University Chapters of the CCPR will hold their annual business congress together with the PRCC BizCon + Expo 2022. The business exhibition and information forums will begin at 9:00 a.m. and will run until 5:30 p.m. For more information or to register to attend the PRCC BizCon, those interested can call 787-721-6060, ext. 2241 or by email at fmartinez@camarapr.net. To register for the event, you can access this link: https://camarapr.org/wp-content/uploads/GROW-2022-Kit.pdf
