 As always, we will start off with our opening press, so I invite Miss Lisa Evans to lead us in practice. If you could all compose yourselves. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for this day that You have made. We thank You, Lord, for Your creation. We thank You for this nation. We lift this symposium before You. We ask, O God, for Your guidance, for Your will and Your purpose to be fulfilled today. Lord, to Your honor, to Your glory. In Jesus Christ's name, amen. Thank you very much. I would ask you all to please remain standing for our national anthem being played by Mr. Rashad. Ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Export Competitiveness Symposium put on by Exports in Usher. Just going through the list of protocol really quickly. Hello, Stevenson King, Minister for Infrastructure, Ports, Energy and Labor. Senator, the Honorable Fortuna Belrose. Minister and the Minister of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industries, with Responsibility for Culture and Creative Industries. Mr. Titus Bravil, Permanent Secretary in the Department of Commerce, Industry, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs. Mr. Darryl Montrup, Permanent Secretary, Department of Labor. Ms. Peggy Ann Surat, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Department of Commerce, Industry, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs. Ms. Dawn French, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Department of Culture and Creative Industries. Mr. Richard Duboulay, Deputy Permanent Secretary, sorry, Chairman of Export St. Lucia. Ms. Sunita Daniel, Chief Executive Officer, Export St. Lucia. Panelists, moderators, invited guests. Again, welcome. I now invite Ms. Ann Margaret. Yes, sorry about that. I now invite Ms. Ann Margaret, part of our board over at Export St. Lucia, to do the welcome remarks. Ms. Ann Margaret. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Protocol haven't been established. I wish to adopt the same and apologize on behalf of the Chairman, who's not able to join us this morning. Pleasant good morning once again. Thank you firstly for being here today. Your presence is testament that you are concerned about the current situation and investing in crafting a solution. When the CEO came up with this idea, it quickly got a blessing. We do not pretend to have all the answers and certainly don't have all the expertise in house. This is why we have sought the assistance of experts, business professionals, those who know firsthand what challenges they face and have ideas as to how they can be overcome. As you sit and listen, I ask that you participate in the discussion. The race will be best run as a relay, a collaborative effort of public and private sector. Policy should never be devoid of opinions and wishes of the group that they will affect most. I challenge the CEO to ensure that this was not a talk show. She was asked in her wrap up that she included the way forward and particularly what export St. Lucia has planned to address many of the hurdles that we'll face today. Ladies and gentlemen, I ask that you pay close attention to the theme of Business Month, sustainable enterprises, people, planet and profit. Let us not ignore any of the words in this theme. They all have significance in their own, but together they pack a powerful punch as none can exist or be sustainable without the other. People, planet and profit. I wish you all a productive discourse. Good morning. Thank you very much. I now invite my CEO, Miss Sunita Daniel, to give a few brief remarks on the ongoings of today's proceedings. Thank you to all of you and thank you so much for coming today. Senator the Honourable Fortuna Belrose, Minister in the Ministry of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industry with responsibility for culture and creative industries. Thank you for being here. We really appreciate it. Mr. Darrell Montroup, Permanent Secretary, Department of Labor, Miss Peggy and Sudat, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Department of Commerce, Industry, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs. Sorry, Mr. Montroup, I think it's para state. Sorry, monitoring. Miss Dawn French, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Department of Culture and Creative Industries, Panelists, Moderators, Invited Guests, Media, Staff of Export Solution and Staff of the Ministry of Commerce. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. It wasn't too long ago that I challenged the staff at Export Solution TIPL to rethink one of the premier and well attended events of business month. The digital marketing symposium to be succeeded by one which spoke more directly to our own mandate, which is export. After an afternoon's brainstorming session, the export competitiveness symposium was born. The overall objective of this symposium is education. Awareness of where we are, where we want to be and how we will get there is instrumental to our development. The experts on all of those panels will share from their knowledge and experience. They will tell you what we should aim for and rest assured that we at Export Solution will be at the forefront of the battle to get you there. Along with our panelists, we will advise exporters on energy conservation and its impact on your businesses. We will demystify the export process as far as logistics and shipping go. We will present best practices and experiences to creatives and performers. You will have a better understanding of the relevance of the creative arts and its significance to the economy and the GDP of St. Lucia. We have three excellent panels comprised of knowledgeable individuals who invite you to engage and discuss issues and solutions. The first session will focus on part of the export process which is shipping and logistics. This panel is moderated by the ever capable Mr. Gerard Begas. The idea is to advise and inform exporters on the processes, the best practices, the do's and don'ts and available services. We have secured a panel of industry professionals from public and private sectors, each with varied yet interwoven areas of expertise. In keeping with the green theme of business month, the second panel will discuss export and energy. We will examine and consider energy conservation, best practices and even how proper energy management could increase competitiveness by lowering costs of production. The panel is moderated by a very knowledgeable gentleman, Mr. Jerry George. We will hear from the department with responsibility for energy, the OECS and a private sector provider of solar energy solutions. We will also hear the story of what we should all aim for in our businesses, which where nothing goes to waste from Caribbean earnings. And we want to thank Ms. Paula Coljan for accepting to be our speaker on that panel. The third panel will focus on monetizing the work of the creative sector, and I'm so very excited about that sector. It is one in the last few months, we at Export Sanctucia have been paying a lot closer focus to, and we will invite the panel to answer the question, is Sanctucia able to recognize the creative sector as a viable source of income generation? We invite you to stay with us until the afternoon, where you will get a chance to hear from and pick the brains of our panelists. They include Ms. Dawn French, who is an author. Ms. Tariba Donacian, Donacianto, I can never say that word, that name, of Mehmbet. Mr. Teddison John, who you'll know as TJ. Mr. Steven Phillip, who all of you would probably know as international DJ Steven. We have two IP attorneys, and we all know the importance of intellectual property for our creatives at this point in time. So we have Mr. Thomas Thebles and Mr. Thaddeus Antoine, who will be joining that panel. And our keynote for that panel will be Mr. Adrian Oji. The discussions will focus around assessing the economic impact of the arts on our GDP, and we'll highlight the inroads which have been made by firms and entrepreneurs in the sector, towards establishing their creative businesses as true contributors to the country's economy. We will also identify the challenges which exist in the sector, which must be addressed if Sanctucia is to fully benefit from the revenue potential which the sector has to offer. Export Sanctucia is committed to working with all exporters and potential exporters of both goods and services. Our work program is designed to address the issues that will be raised here today. So don't think that we will be coming, having a nice talk, forgetting about it at the end of Friday and moving on. What we have done and what have asked the staff to do is to take up all the issues which are raised here today. And our work program at Export Sanctucia is tailored to address those issues. If we can't address it ourselves, we will advocate for these changes to be made for you. We have already begun the process of seeking avenues for shipping for exporters. We have met with the air and sea freight service providers to address frequency of the service and of course freight rates. And what we have learned from that discussion I'll just say very briefly is that they have told us as long as we are able to give them that level of supply, they will be able to bring down shipping rates for us. So those are things we want you to know about. Those are things we want you to be engaged with and to tell us you're the ones with the underground experience. You're the ones who know how it is practically. We're really just the academics. I don't really like to say but we are you're the ones who have all the knowledge and we really wanted to get from you what it is that we should be doing to meet your needs. We have a long history of working with the performing artists, the visual artists, fashion industry and the list can go on. On your tables you will see some of those products that we work with and towards the back you'll see some of those from our creative artists. We have put on programs to address any deficiencies of manufacturers from certification and branding to very recently accounting and bookkeeping. We have come in, we have sat with our exporters and we have looked at the gaps which exist and some basic gaps exist. Sometimes we have businesses who don't even have proper bookkeeping, who don't keep proper records, who don't have proper pricing. And that prevents them from getting any kind of grant funding, prevents them from getting any kind of loan financing. And so we've sat down and I've asked my finance officer to and he has been doing that going into those businesses and actually helping them to set up proper record keeping. Those are really for our exporters. Today we have sought advice and assistance from industry experts and they will share with you from their invaluable experience. Tomorrow through your hard work and perseverance, the resilience of our department of commerce and the partnership and support of our government, we aim for the whole world to enjoy a taste of St Lucio. Whether through our authentic St Lucio products or the authentic St Lucio experience through our creative sector or indeed through the world class services we offer. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to export St Lucio's competitiveness symposium part one. I thank you. Thank you very much, Madam CEO. Now things seem to be moving a little bit more smoother. So I can get a little bit more comfortable now. My name is Jason Darius. I am the Public Relations Officer over at Export St Lucio Teeper. And again, welcome to our event for today. I would just like you all to turn your attention to your tables. You would see our locally manufactured products and a bit of items on display from our local manufacturers and our artisans here in St Lucio. And all the music you will be hearing today will be strictly local music from our Music St Lucio page. So since we are highlighting everything local, I would now like to introduce Miss Peggy and Suda, the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce. Miss Suda. Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to adopt the protocol which has already been established and to extend a very pleasant good morning to you again. Before I begin my remarks, I need to apologize on behalf of the Honorable Bradley Felix, Minister of Commerce, who wanted to be part of this prestigious event but is present, but actually he's probably on his way back from the 47th meeting of Quoted in Guyana. He however conveys his regards to all distinguished guests and commends Export St Lucio for putting this initiative together as part of government's efforts at increasing the competitiveness of our local businesses. On this note, it is my pleasure to join you today at this auspicious opening ceremony of the Export Competitiveness Symposium. One of the signature events of St Lucio Business Month been held under the theme sustainable enterprises, people, planet and profit. Export St Lucio is an affiliate agency of the Department of Commerce as an affiliate agency of the Department of Commerce has been an enthusiastic partner in hosting this year's business month. As Deputy Permanent Secretary, I am quite pleased that you have put tremendous thought into this symposium by focusing on areas that are relevant to enable competitiveness of our local businesses. That is the area of, well actually the focus is in the areas of energy and export, shipping and logistics and the creative arts. If businesses of today are to be sustainable and respond to the dynamism of globalization, the opportunities emanating from trade and investment liberalization as well as e-commerce, we as private sector development agencies need to ensure that we provide them with the requisite knowledge and tools to position their goods and services to withstand the formidable competition and successfully penetrate the global village. At the Department of Commerce, we recognize that private sector development is the backbone of our economy and therefore critical to our country's holistic development. This is why our strategic objectives are geared towards promoting entrepreneurship and small business development, fostering and promoting economic growth, competitiveness and diversification of industries and facilitating an enabling environment for international trade and investment. According to the Ungtad Report on Export Competitiveness 2008, an increasing number of developing economies have benefited from integration into the global economy through export growth and diversification. An example being the Asian Tigers, whose export-led growth started in the 1960s and today they have grown tremendously and given the status of developed nations. Export promotion played a critical role in their long-run growth by supporting a virtuous cycle of investment, innovation and poverty reduction. These economies have transitioned from dependence on primary products to becoming the important manufacturing exporters. We continue to realize then that these economies which proactively pursue initiatives to improve the competitiveness of the private sector are performing better and becoming the global giants. This research further emphasizes the importance of producing more unique and diversified products and services to ensure the sustainable growth and development of our economy. But what really does competitiveness mean? According to the Journal of Economics and Political Economy 2016, for a firm, competitiveness means meeting customers' needs more efficiently and more effectively than other firms do. While for an industrial sector, the main competitiveness criterion is maintaining and improving its position in the global market. Here again, we realize that integrating our local businesses into the global arena is part of the formula for global competitiveness. I hope then that the presentations today on shipping and logistics will provide our businesses with the tools to access the gateway to the global market for those who have not been able to realize this business goal. To a broader extent, export competitiveness of the industry sector is a function of the capacity to sell the product demanded in the international marketplace at the quantity, the quality, the price and the time required. A common measure which helps to assess a country's export potential is the revealed comparative advantage RCA index. Stated simply, the RCA index of a specific country in the trade of a given industry's product is measured by the country's share in the country's export relatives which share in the world trade. I believe that we are the department of commerce and exports in Russia should use such as the RCA in assessing our export capacity and the sectors we are competitive in in relation to other economies. These measures will guide our decision making in determining which sectors require more incentive regimes to propel our economic growth. Having signed on to various trade agreements, I would also like to encourage the private sector to take better advantage of the market access opportunities available through various bilateral and regional trade agreements in an effort to expand the reach of our locally manufactured goods and services. There are excellent opportunities for our goods and service providers to export to the EU through the carry forum EU EPEL. For example, benefiting not only themselves but also our local economy. While I applaud the many strides the private sector has made in penetrating regional and international markets, there is need for more businesses to be export driven. The department presently is engaged in developing the private sector development strategy as well as the national export development strategy focused on key priority sectors in order to develop the capacity of goods and service providers to engage in international trade. I want to also encourage all to join the government in meeting its energy conservation and reduction goals by implementing some of the proposed recommendation from today's presentations on energy. As part of the Paris Agreement, the government sets ambitious goals in its national determined contributions and disease which states that St. Lucia aims to reduce greenhouse gases by 23% by 2030. Ladies and gentlemen, in concluding, I wish to acknowledge and thank the staff of Export St. Lucia for putting together this activity. I wish also to thank our sponsors as without your continued commitment and support this initiative would not be possible. I encourage Export St. Lucia to continue such initiatives aimed at building a better solution business community which can withstand the effects of global economic and financial shocks. I remain confident that collectively we will achieve the objective of increasing the export competitiveness in our business community. Again, I'd like to thank you and I wish you well with the remaining activities for this morning's proceedings. I looked at the program and it's almost tempting me to stay the D but I have to leave. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much Misuda for that wealth of information. Ladies and gentlemen, we have come to the end of our brief opening ceremony. So I would now like to invite our panelists for the first session that is our shipping and logistics session. In the meantime, while you guys come on stage, invite you guys on stage. In the meantime, while they actually make their way to the stage, I would like to give a shout out to all our sponsors while we're able to make this thing come to life. We have, for example, we have Flo Lucilleck, Sandals Halcyon, EOECS, Tropical Shipments, CPJ, St. Lucia De Sillas and the Windward and Leeward Brewery. Thank you guys so much for making this possible and partnering with Export St. Lucia. Apparently my panel is not here. Guys, don't be shy. Come on stage. The lights don't, they don't do much. In the meantime, while they do that, guys, please just ensure that your phones are on vibrate or silent to ensure that there is as minimal destruction as possible during the proceedings. And I thank you all again for making making time to actually be here at our symposium. Thank you very much.