Caribbean Export Implementation Report 2017-2020

4th CARIFORUM-EU BUSINESS FORUM

CaribbeanExport hosted ninety-three (93) regional goods and services firms fromfive sectors: nutraceuticals, agro-processing, food and beverage (rum), music and film, at its 2019 flagship event: the 4th CARIFORUM- EU Business Forum. The Forum was held from September 26-28, 2019 in Frankfurt, Germany. Thirty (30) BSOs were also sponsored to attend. The exhibitors, some represented by the BSOs, presented their products and services to sixty-eight (68) European buyers and potential investors.

The breakdown of the participants by sectors is as follows:

Agro-processing (sauces and condiments) 18%

Nutraceuticals 33%

Food & Beverage (rum) 17%

Music 17%

Film 15%

Approximately one hundred and thirty-eight (138) business leads were generated at the Forum, with an average of four leads made per exhibitor. Most of these leads were captured by the creative industry exhibitors (44%) , which was followed by sauces and condiments (20%) and rum (19%). Based on participant feedback from the Forum, the majority (94%) of respondents confirmed that the event provided their company with market access opportunities that were not previously available. There was also a musical showcase in which ten (10) artistes from Barbados, Curacao, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Martin, and Trinidad and Tobago performed for international music executives and the German public. In February 2020, the Agency conducted follow- up interviews with firms that secured business leads during the Forum. Three firms, one from Trinidad and Tobago (nutraceuticals) and two from Jamaica (nutraceuticals and natural products), were successful in developing at least seven leads from the 2019 Forum, specifically to export their products to the UK and Germany.

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