MORE than half of the 1,000 expected delegates of this year’s Davao Investment Conference (Icon) are foreign investors.
Davao Icon marketing head and Jobs Solutions, Inc. representative Belenda Torres said they are targeting those from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-member countries, the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga), United States, United Kingdom and Australia, among others.
“We strengthened our digital marketing for this year, we expect delegates around the world but we are eyeing those from our neighboring countries and those who already showed interest in investing in the city through their official visits here,” she said.
This year’s Icon, which is organized by Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industries Inc. (DCCCII), will be held at SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang on July 20 to 22.
The three-day event, she said, will highlight business matching among delegates.
Torres also said they are looking at forging two to three sisterhood agreements with foreign countries and cities.
Icon 2017 Chairman Arturo Milan said earlier that they will highlight the key investment areas in Davao which are manufacturing, infrastructure and connectivity, agriculture, and tourism sectors.
Cabinet members like Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III have confirmed their attendance at the conference.
DCCCII President Ronald Go also said President Rodrigo Duterte confirmed his attendance at the conference.
With the theme, “Davao: The Gateway to a World of Infinite Investments,” the event aims to bring together potential buyers and investors as well as industry leaders and government experts to discuss Davao and Mindanao business opportunities.
For agriculture, Milan said they are looking into inviting large corporate agriculture investors especially of palm oil, rubber, cacao, and coffee to also provide job opportunities for upland people.
As for the infrastructure, Mindanao Development Authority Chairman Secretary Datu Abdul Khayr Alonto will also be coming to speak about the Mindanao Railway Project.
“This is one big infrastructure project that I would say has long been delayed already. We need mass transport and the railway is really the answer to this,” Milan said.
Torres also said that they support the city’s stand of carefully filtering the kind of investments that come to the city.
“We welcome investments but what the city is considering is its capability in absorbing investments and making talent available to the firms coming in,” Torres said.
