Calling Caribbean Artisans to Come & Connect to the Global Marketplace 
Barbados, March 2, 2011

Artisans from the Caribbean region are invited to exhibit their products at the region’s foremost trade show, Design Caribbean, which offers unique access to important regional, international and diaspora buyers.

From September 1-4, 2011 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Design Caribbean will unite a passion for design with the soul of the Caribbean. All products are vetted for excellence so only the best of the region will be on show. Alongside the main trade fair, there will be many related events including a major musical event, a film programme, spa and wellness and a fashion show. Participating artisans will also attend a number of product and market development workshops on hot topics such as copyright, growing a business and accessing foreign markets.

Design Caribbean will attract buyers from North America, Europe and the Caribbean region. This year promises to be a notable event that no artisan should miss. If you want your products to reach a global marketplace, please register your interest immediately as places are limited.

Artisan Sign-up Details

All artisans engaged in design in the Caribbean region are eligible to participate in the Design Caribbean trade show. We are seeking products from diverse creative specialties including but not limited to ceramics, jewellery, fashion accessories, home furnishings, spa and wellness items and leather goods. In addition, there will a number of cash awards and incentives for winning various design categories.  For participation criteria and sign up details, please email info@designcaribbean.com.

Sharing the Caribbean Experience

“Design Caribbean is an opportunity for exhibitors and visitors to experience the Caribbean, where all cultures collide to create something beautiful,” says Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), organisers of the event. Participants will leave the show inspired and invigorated by the creative splendor of the Caribbean and new business insight.

Ms. Coke Hamilton believes that Caribbean Design operates within a unique environment where “every race, culture and creed has been able to create a truly genuine melting pot of racial, religious and ethnic blending, which has now become the foundation of the Caribbean identity and culture. This region is the only one where anyone can land and immediately fit in without fear of exclusion or isolation. We merge all the varying aspects of our differing ethnic backgrounds to create a spirit, which is uniquely and quintessentially Caribbean. This spirit is

captured and reflected in the originality, boldness and inherent creativity that mirror the experience of those who landed on our shores from disparate parts of the globe. The Caribbean soul is, without apology, dynamic, vibrant and intrinsically beautiful. This is Design Caribbean.”

About Design Caribbean
Inspired by the passion and talent of both distinguished and aspiring artists, Design Caribbean brings the region’s finest handmade designs and innovative products onto the world stage.

Encapsulating the spirit of design to celebrate the ‘beautiful,’ our event takes place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from Sept. 1-4, 2011. Showcasing a broad product range of handmade quality products, it will connect artists to buyers, and design enthusiasts from the Caribbean region, North America and Europe.  Design Caribbean visitors will come away with a true sense of the diversity and splendor that breathes vibrancy into the Caribbean region.

Design Caribbean is organized by Caribbean Export, a trade and promotion organization with 15 member regions, whose mandate is to “take Caribbean excellence to the world.”

For media inquiries or to contact a spokesperson for an interview, please contact:

Quentin T. Baldwin
Email: qbaldwin@designcaribbean.com
Phone:   1 246 436 0578  (Barbados)