Cabinet eyes developing conference centres at hotels

With the increasing number of events being hosted by the country, Cabinet has begun discussions in enhancing the infrastructure in the country to be able to host additional regional and international gatherings.

Press Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Maurice Merchant revealed that one such avenue is for hotels to expand their facilities.

“One of the aspects that was looked at also was the hotels themselves. How can they expand their conference facilities at the hotel because it becomes cost effective if you can have a one-stop shop in terms of hosting of conferences where you have accommodations, visitor accommodations, and a facility right there on the same premises to host meetings.

“So, looking at the hotel sector playing a part in improving its conference facilities, that was one that was discussed,” Merchant explained.  

The Cabinet also agreed that it will pursue a programme to increase the capacity of conference facility offerings with the retrofitting of the former Deluxe cinema, which is expected to add an additional 1000 seats in addition to the expansion of the University of the West Indies Lecture Theatre.  

In July, Antigua and Barbuda is set to host another regional event having just successfully concluded Caribbean Travel Market Place.

That event is the Caribbean Law Enforcement Leaders’ Cybersecurity Symposium.

The July 8-9 event will be hosted by the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) and the Caribbean Agency for Justice Solutions (CAJS) in collaboration with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.

It will again enhance cross-jurisdictional cooperation and information sharing, provide expert analysis of emerging cybercrime trends and investigative responses and facilitate direct dialogue between law enforcement, policy makers, regional registries, and judicial stakeholders.