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DEL.ICIO.USForum shows how international Atlanta is
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Heads of state, business and academic leaders as well as government dignataries are in Atlanta for the second annual Americas Competitiveness Forum today and tomorrow.
At the opening session, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez welcomed about 1,000 people who had come to Atlanta from “Canada to the Southern most tip of our hemisphere.”
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin told the group: “What is good for one of us is good for all of us.”
And then the conference took on an international flavor.
The panel of media professionals all spoke to the group in Spanish.
(The moderator, CNN Espanol anchor Alberto Padillo did open with a funny comment in English. “Sec. Gutierrez first tried to get Lou Dobbs, but he wasn’t available. For those of you who don’t know Lou Dobbs, I really don’t recommend him.” Dobbs often uses his pulpit on CNN to rail against illegal immigration).
After the media panel, Gutierrez introduced the three heads of state who were in Atlanta for the conference: Alvaro Colom Caballeros, president of Guatemala; Elias Antonio Saca Gonzalez, president of El Salvador; and Alvaro Uribe Velez, president of Colombia.
“We have presidents of three countries today, three democratically-elected leaders, discussing what they are doing and will be doing to increase the competitiveness in their region,” Gutierrez said.
From that point on, the three presidents spoke to the audience in Spanish. Attendees were given headsets to hear the simultaneous translation of their presentations.
Sam Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, said that having the three presidents come to the city “heightens the caliber of the conference.” He said he was impressed with how candid the presidents were in “addressing issues at the core of challenges to competitiviness such as bringing down corruption.”
The forum will be held in Santiago, Chile in 2009, but it will be back in Atlanta in 2010. “This was a huge decision,” Williams said, adding that the forum is a “great networking opportunity” and demonstrates “how trade needs to be front and center in our minds.”
Again, forums like these show how we are emerging as an international city.
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Comments
By Contrarian
August 25, 2008 2:21 PM | Link to this
Keep seeing the world as you want to see it, instead of how it really is. Maybe you should take a trip to Miami or Toronto, if you want to see a real international city.
How much foreign banking is done in Atlanta? How much currency exchange?
How many guidebooks about Atlanta are published in foreign languages?
How many foriegn flag carriers serve Hartsfield?
The answers to these questions would not lead anyone to believe Atlanta is such an “international” city, but probably speak more truth than some conference. When 1000 foreign visitors constitutes noteworthiness as an “international event”, that is a pretty good indication of how far down the list is Atlanta.
By BPJ
August 25, 2008 4:39 PM | Link to this
On the other hand, there are several factors weighing in favor of Atlanta as an “international city” (whatever that means): the multinational corporations based here, from Coke to UPS to Home Depot to CNN; the international aid agencies based here, including CARE, Habitat, the Carter Center, the CDC; the universities, which attract talent from all over, and which conduct research with international ramifications; and the convention industry.
15 years ago Atlanta had far fewer foreign-born residents and international visitors; perhaps “contrarian’s” impressions were formed back then.
By Contrarian Affirmatirarian
August 26, 2008 6:17 PM | Link to this
There are still very few foreign visitors to Atlanta compared to places like Washington, New York, San Francisco. Atlanta isn’t close to being in that league.
Metro Atlanta may be big, but it isn’t “international”.
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