After the recently added extra masterclass of Terry Jones on the future of tourism, visitors of the Sint Maarten Innovations, Initiatives & Industries Link-Up Event have received the final schedule in their SMILE-App. Yesterday, the amount of subscriptions surpassed the 2018 edition.

This was announced today by the organizers. The event will kick-off on Friday 7 pm with an networking event at USM, while the masterclasses and workshops will take place Saturday between 9am, till 7pm.

SMILE was created in 2018 to create a platform for inspiration, new thinking and doing business after Irma. With its two key themes of Innovation and Sustainability, best practices and challenges from both on – and off island are shared. In addition, SMILE provides a platform for both experienced as well as new companies and NGO’s.

Assistance for growing your business will be supported by presentations of special local entrepreneurs like Denicio Wyatte (Spaceless Gardens), Sega Songha (ShareXMobility) and Nalia Muriel (Sint Maarten Nectar), who will share their experiences on how they build their exceptional Sint Maarten businesses and what lies ahead. For those companies doing business beyond borders either on- or off island, the Kingdom Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide insights on the toolbox that is available for companies.  Aruban innovation entrepreneur Bianca Peters shares how to Think Big, Start Small and Move Fast while using technical innovations as a tool.

Additional economic outlooks will be presented in order for companies to anticipate on future developments. The Sint Maarten Tourism Board (STB) will provide insights in their marketing strategies for the upcoming period. The National Recovery Project Bureau (NRPB) is providing outlooks on what projects can be expected so entrepreneurs can anticipate.  The Bureau for Intellectual Property (BIP) and the Netherlands Patents Office will provide information on registering patents for startups.

Travelocity founder Terry Jones will share his experiences as startup investor and entrepreneur, and in addition presents his internationally renowned outlook on the future of Tourism.

For HR Professionals, the Emigration Expo 2020 Dutch Caribbean will be highlighted, trying to create matches between specialist vacancies on island and Sint Maarten and Dutch Caribbean professionals in the Netherlands.  Labor compliance workshops for temporary projects will be provided by Grant Thornton and Preventive Medical Exams to keep the workplace healthy by Medwork. The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor will provide the latest insights on health and safety at work. The Red Cross holds a workshop on disaster preparedness for organizations.

On the topic of marketing, local companies InspireFocus and Studio WOW will share recommendations how to optimize company presence on social media and via websites. ShowMeCaribbean (Curacao/Sint Maarten) and Caribious Solutions (Bonaire/Sint Maarten) will present how to do online company reputation management. Main speaker will be YouTube Bas van Teylingen from Online Cookie Collective, providing a masterclass on social media influencing. He was central to a YouTube song gaining 1.2 million hits on YouTube supporting the Red Cross after Irma.

Sustainability workshops entail “Seed Bomb” Preparation by the Sint Maarten Green Initiatives federation, sustainable housing development by ORCO Bank and a presentation of the Statian StaBlu App.  DYNAF (Curacao/Sint Maarten) will provide insights on Island Innovations from the energy sector. The Chamber of Commerce and Industries (COCI) shares information on how business on Sint Maarten can be done by using sustainable innovation technologies.  

NPower, an association of local NGO’s launched during SMILE’s 2018 edition, will share insights on building communities through Corporate Social Responsibility. As many NGO’s will be present at SMILE, special guest speaker is Susan Alzner of US Company SHIFT 7. She is specialized in creating networks amongst international communities by using IT. She cofounded this organization together with the former Chief Technology Officer of Barack Obama.

Current visitors come from Anguilla, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, both sides of Sint Maarten / Saint Martin, the Netherlands, Mexico, Panama, Germany and the United States.

The event starts with the Design Awards of the Waste 2 Work program, for which 17 Sint Maarteners submitted designs. As its climax, SMILE will host the Micromentor Caribbean Innovation Contest. 15 Prizes worth a total amount of $37.000 will be granted to the best innovative Sint Maarten ideas during an award ceremony taking place from 5.30 to 7pm.

Tables for SMILE’s 2019 edition have been sold out. Walkaround tickets are still available at events@shta.com / 5420108. For a full profile of speakers and schedule can be found at Shta.com/SMILE.  Participants receive an app specially devised for SMILE, displaying all companies and speakers of the event and allowing to foster ties between visitors for the future.

Layer 1