The L’Association des Hoteliers de St. Martin (AHSM), Saint Martin Tourism Office in conjunction with St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) call on vendors and activity providers to join their annual regional tradeshow SMART. For island businesses, the event provides a large opportunity to get in contact and provide services to regional hotels and tour operators. In their ambition to continuously expand the event every year, the four partners SMART 2017 will provide extra room for vendors.
The Sint Maarten / Saint Martin Regional Trade Show (SMART) has been an internationally reknowned business event for over 15 years. In previous years, SMART featured suppliers from Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barthelemy, St. Kitts & Nevis and St. Maarten-St. Martin. By its large scope, SMART is the best visited tradeshow of the Northeastern Caribbean.
Next to its function connecting hoteliers and activity providers to make longterm business agreements with foreign operators, various spaces have traditionally been alotted for vendors seeking to connect to visiting hoteliers. Vendors display products that can be of use for the hospitality sector. Over the past, vendor stands had contributions from telecom products, furniture to food and beverage products. The vendor displays are amidst the busy hallways where the already over 120 registrants will pass.
As the four organizing parties have undertaken various efforts to make the 2017 edition the most memorable edition in history, it seeks to expand its opportunities for island businesses too. By empowering local businesses, the partners hope not only to reinforce tourism but to assist in diversifying the economy by helping product supplying companies expand their business abroad.
The annual SMART event is organized by the tourism boards and hospitality representatives of both sides of the island. The tradeshow provides a unique opportunity for local and regional hoteliers to present products and negotiate prospective business opportunities. During the tradeshow, travel partners and wholesalers as well as hotel and excursion operations come together for one-on-one discussions on potential business ventures.
Registering for SMART can be done at www.Shta.com/SMART. A launch movie created by local Sint Maarten / Saint-Martin creatives can be found at https://youtu.be/RAFGr3axPFc .
Vendor Registration forms, more information and answers can be requested by sending an email to Smart@Shta.com or by calling 5420108.