About two thousand foreign entrepreneurs from over 60 countries and 360 Cuban entities will participate in the XXXII International Fair of Havana, FIHAV 2014. The event will take place from November 2 through the 8 at the EXPOCUBA fairgrounds, largest exhibitor center of the archipelago, located to 25 miles southeast of downtown Havana.
The presentation of the business portfolio of the island, on Monday, regarding foreign investment, will be among the highlights, said Rodrigo Malmierca, Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, at a press conference.
“These are projects that already have a certain level of study, many with research on feasibility, allowing foreign investors to get valuable information to make decisions to invest or not in the country,” the senior Cuban official said. Information will be available for those interested in digital and printed format.
With respect to the 2013-considered the largest in the last ten years, the level of foreign participation is now “similar” although there is, said Malmierca, limitations on the roofed areas space in EXPOCUBA to increase concurrency of domestic and foreign business.
This year 366 exhibitors rented 18,000 square meters for the stands, that is, 30 more than on the 31 edition of the fair. That amount covers the entire site available in all 25 wards, so there are only usable outdoor areas, explained Abraham Macique, a member of the Fair Organizing Committee and President of the Business Palco Group, noting that they have received more than 45 container s filled with products to display.
Spain is ratified as most represented country with five dedicated pavilions, while there is growing representation of nations like Brazil and Italy, the Prensa Latina news agency reported, which in a previous report mentioned Venezuela, Russia and China as other large delegations.
The president of the Chamber of Commerce of Cuba (CCC), Orlando Hernandez, said the Central Pavilion will be fully occupied by more than 300 Cuban companies and for the first time there will be one dedicated to the Special Development Zone of Mariel and another on the Container Terminal.
Among the activities to mark the business agenda highlighted business forums with delegations from Venezuela, China, Russia, Switzerland, Mexico and Hungary.
7 days in FIHAV
The program the 2014 edition includes for November 2 the Opening Ceremony at the EXPOCUBA Flags Square, from the 2 to the 8 professional visits, the 7th will be the awards ceremony at the Convention Center in Havana and on the 8 the public will be allowed to visit the exhibition areas.
The organization of business rounds; the provision of business information; design, decorating and staging; customs clearance, local transportation and handling of samples as well as surveillance and security are some of the services that the Organizing Committee provides the exhibitor.
The International Fair of Havana was held for the first time in 1982. Then, according to the Chamber of Commerce of Cuba, only 88 businesses from three countries attended: Cuba, Spain and Panama, a little over 60 firms and an exhibition area of 800 square meters.
Its purpose, for over 30 years, is to promote trade with the island. Now, after the approval of the Foreign Investment Law 118 it also seeks to promote foreign investment from the dissemination of project opportunities with foreign capital in the Special Development Zone Mariel.
FIHAV has become the most important trade fair of Cuba and the Caribbean, and one of the most representative ones in Latin America. The major deals closed from it are related to raw materials, foodstuffs, textiles, consumer goods, machinery and equipment, technology and services, specify the website of this event organized by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, the Chamber of Commerce and the PALCO Business Group.
