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PRESS RELEASE
February 18, 2005

CHRIS DEHRING LEADS DISTINGUISHED LINE-UP FOR TRINIDAD MEETING

The leading Caribbean architect of the 2007 Cricket World Cup will set the stage at a meeting which looks at this event and what it means for the Caribbean.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Windies World Cup 2007, the West Indies Cricket Board's (WICB) operating entity for the management and execution of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007, leads a distinguished field of experts to address the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMExPress) (www.caribbeanmediaexchange.com) one-day workshop at the Courtyard Marriott, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad on Friday, February 25, 2005.

Dehring pitches up with international experts such Emmy-Award winning journalists, now public relations counsels Gail Moaney and Doug Hoyte; Australian ex-Minister of Government, Tom Roper; Warren Solomon, Trinidad and Tobago’s Vice President of Tourism; Ernest Littles, President of the Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Association; Bruce Aanensen, Vice President, Queens Park Cricket Club; and Trinidad Guardian Sports Journalist Everard Gordon to discuss among many other things, the World Cup cricket competition in 2007 and the links between the media, sports, tourism and the development sector.

Dehring, the architect and presenter of the Caribbean’s successful proposal to host the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007, will address the topic “Cricket World Cup 2007 – The State of Play” in an exciting multi-media format. A sports enthusiast, Dehring played senior cup cricket for Kingston Cricket Club and major league football, representing Jamaica in both sports at the Under-19 level.

Delegates also will discuss issues related to the World Cup such as accommodation, disaster management, agro-tourism, enterprise development, HIV/AIDS and sex tourism linkages.

The Caribbean people are passionate for the sport of cricket but will the sustainable benefits of the World Cup slip by them? Will the region be stumped by the aftermath of the Cup? Cricket World Cup will bring a surge of tourism dollars and development to the Caribbean, but it will also bring great social and economic costs. CMExPress will bat around both sides of the issues, in anticipation of this event.

Lelei LeLaulu, president of Counterpart International – producers of the CMEx series, said he was pleased to see senior media, travel and tourism, cricket and sports officials making it a priority to attend the regional exchange, which the non-profit development agency launched to improve the quality of media coverage of sustainable tourism in the Caribbean. The meeting also seeks to increase the input of the media in the design of sustainable tourism policies, and highlight the necessity of tourism to the economies of small island states.

According to Jean-Claude Baumgarten, president of the World Travel and Tourism Council, "travel and tourism is without question the most important export sector in the region. It helps to diversify the Caribbean economy, stimulate entrepreneurship, catalyse investment, create sustainable jobs and helps social development in local communities. However, the impact of the industry is generally not understood by public officials, the industry itself, or the communities where it takes place."

CMExPress sponsors and supporters include American Express, Association of Caribbean Media Workers, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Black Entertainment Television, Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism, Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Caribbean Hotel Association, Caribbean Star Airlines, Caribbean Sun, Coca-Cola, Coco Kreole, Continental Airlines, Courtyard by Marriott Hotel Port of Spain, Half Moon Montego Bay, Hilton Trinidad & Conference Centre, Jamaica Pegasus, Jamaica Tourist Board, The East Project, Ruder Finn, Tourism and Industrial Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (TIDCO), Trinidad and Tobago's Ministry of Tourism, United Nations Development Programme, and the United States Agency for International Development.

To register for CMExPress, contact Yvonne Roberts-White (robertyvonne02@yahoo.co.uk) or +1 868 791-7431. Space is limited.

For further information about CMEx and CMExPress visit www.caribbeanmediaexchange.com .