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Panel
considers bids to host 5th World Chambers Congress
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| The
next World Chambers Congress will take place in Durban,
South Africa |
Paris,
21 May 2004
- With preparations already underway for the 4th World Chambers Congress
in Durban, South Africa on 20-22 June, 2005, an international panel of
chamber leaders is poring over applications to host the event upon its
return to Europe in 2007.
On the list of contenders
are: Bratislava (Slovak Chamber of Commerce & Industry), the gateway
to the East; Istanbul (Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey
TOBB), a city which has been the bridge between Europe and Asia for centuries;
and Monaco (Economic Development Chamber of Monaco), a cross roads of
the Mediterranean.
"The calibre
of bids from such a cross-section of chambers bodes well for the success
of this Congress," said Avijit Mazumdar, chair of ICC's World Chambers
Federation (WCF). "Chambers, of all types and sizes from the four
corners of the world, have a difficult task at hand in selecting the candidate
that will best serve as host chamber and city."
Since the 1st World
Chambers Congress was held in Marseille in 1999, chambers from every continent
have lined up as candidates to host this far-reaching
event as its moves from region to region around the world.
Chambers from Asia
Pacific and the Americas are already registering their interest to host
the congress in 2009 and 2011 when it returns to their regions.
WCF has called on
chamber leaders from India, the United States, France, Germany, Japan,
Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand, Korea, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland,
South Africa, Ethiopia, and Syria, to help it select the right host. Their
perspectives on which key criteria will attract fellow colleagues from
their regions, are essential to WCF when making its selection.
The World Chambers
Congress is the only event of its size and scope that brings together
chambers from all backgrounds to share best-practice experience, develop
networks and learn about new areas of innovation from chambers as they
face the challenge to remain relevant to companies in their regions.
The last c
ongress
in Quebec gathered over 1,000 chamber leaders and executives from over
91 countries.
"Every chamber
of commerce has a skill to impart, an experience to share", said
Diane Déry, president of the board of directors of Quebec City
Entrepreneurs' Regional Chamber of Commerce, which co-hosted the 3rd World
Chambers Congress in Quebec City last year. "Very often, it is the
chambers that enable small businesses to enter markets that otherwise
would have been beyond them. The greater the expertise of their local
chamber of commerce, the more effective the services it provides. The
World Chambers Congress is the tool for chambers to share and learn from
their peers."
Next year's congress
held in Durban is hosted by the Durban Chamber of Commerce & Industry
and supported by Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and Chambers of Commerce
& Industry South Africa (CHAMSA). Durban beat a strong field of contenders
from both hemispheres to win the bid in 2002.
World
Chambers Federation website
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