Georgia’s Caribbean Meet & Greet will also serve to launch A Summer Show: with Caribbean Roots, an art exhibition curated by the City Gallery East, of the City of Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs. According to City Gallery manager, Freddie Styles, this exhibition is planned with three events in mind – the celebration of June as Caribbean American Heritage Month, the EMBRACE Fine Art show, and the National Black Arts Festival. All artists in the exhibition have connections to the Caribbean, either by birth or family affiliations.
Participating artists are Lillian Blades of The Bahamas, Detroit-born Stephanie Jackson of Trinidadian and Grenadian descent, and Yanique Norman and Basil Watson, both of Jamaica. A Summer Show: with Caribbean Roots runs from June 15 – July 29, 2007.
Sponsors for the Meet&Greet include the Advisory Council on International Affairs (ACIR), AXA Advisors, Bermudez Group Limited/Iberia World Food Corp, Caribbean Foods Delight/Jerk Q-zine, Delta Airlines, and, Exit Platinum Realty, these companies have all gained the opportunity to present their products to a captive audience of decision-makers. Sponsorship benefits combine Internet marketing with access to sample product distribution and prominent product placement on signage walls throughout the event.
There are five Caribbean countries scheduled to make presentations at the Caribbean Meet&Greet, they are Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Netherland Antilles, The Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago and our associate island, Bermuda. Attendees will also sample dishes and beverages from these countries as well as a view of some traditional costumes and designer fashions. Attendance to the Caribbean Meet&Greet is “By Invitation Only”, and its purpose is to do just that, meet and greet each other with the aim of learning more about each other and possibly germinating business relationships.
WHO – The Caribbean Meet & Greet 2007 is a collaboration of several Caribbean organizations and individuals including the Trinidad & Tobago Association of Georgia, United for Jamaica, the Dominican International Association, the Netherlands Antilles, and Bermuda, with the support of the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission, the Latin American Association and the City of Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
WHAT – The Caribbean Meet & Greet 2007 is the premier-networking event of the month-long Caribbean American Heritage celebrations in Georgia. It will also launch the art exhibition, A Summer Show… with Caribbean Roots, featuring four of Georgia’s fine artists each of whom are of Caribbean descent. A Summer Show…with Caribbean Roots, runs from June 15 – July 29, 2007.
WHEN – Hosted at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 21, 2007, the evening of the summer solstice.
WHERE – City Gallery East, City Hall East in midtown, 675 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30306
WHY – The Caribbean Meet & Greet 2007 is an annual networking event that nurtures the cooperative spirit, and fosters community building among Georgia’s 150,000 Caribbean residents — of which 80,000 are over the age of 40 — and from over 12 nations, on a platform for meaningful exchange and the development of sustainable entrepreneurial and political alliances.
A veritable who’s who in Georgia’s business and political community is expected to attend, with the Mayor of Atlanta, the Honorable Shirley Franklin, being a confirmed attendee. Other invited guests include the Mayors of Atlanta’s Caribbean sister cities: Salcedo, Dominican Republic, Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; as well as members of the artistic community and other luminaries. For further assistance with developing and exploring marketing opportunities with the Caribbean Meet & Greet 2007 please contact: Janice Lawrence-Clarke at (770) 956-7475 or email at: [email protected]
