To highlight the Caribbean as a viable investment destination will be the focus of Lisa Lake,  chief entrepreneurship officer, the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship – Caribbean at Invest Caribbean Now.

The event which will put spotlight on the opportunities in the region will take place on June 6 at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City.

The Invest Caribbean Now Power Forum in collaboration with the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s breakfast power forum will have speakers from Jonathan Blue, chairman of Blue Equity, Jay Yeo, Solamon Energy Corp, Jean Arnell, of The Chamber of Commerce for French St. Martin, an official of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Agency, and Lisa Lake; the objective of the event is to highlight the investment opportunities in the region and its Diaspora.

The speakers will share their views on whether the Caribbean is the next hot emerging market that investors should be eyeing and explain how the region is developing new industries to balance the reliance on tourism that has powered many of the islands economies for years.

The Caribbean region, home to some 41 million people, has great tax benefits for investors, is politically stable, has a high literate work force, is open to free trade and has an established tourism market.

Lake will be speaking of her plans to support the economic development of the region through supporting high potential entrepreneurs through the early stages of their business development. The Centre is supported by Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, and has been developed in partnership with Virgin Holidays and Virgin Unite, the group’s not-for-profit foundation.  Branson will be honored with the first Invest Caribbean Now Leadership Award on June 6th.

“The Caribbean region is rich in entrepreneurial spirit and in opportunities to grow the economy. Tourism has sustained this region for many years. We now need to develop and add diversity to the market by investing in the skills of entrepreneurs in the Caribbean and to help them scale their businesses and employ people while to competing in a global market,”    Lake said.

The June investment forum is a partnership between the Caribbean Tourism Organization and Hard Beat, a digital media company and will take place during Caribbean Week in New York.

Mariane Cavalli, Principal and CEO of Warwickshire College withLisa Lake, Chief Entrepreneurship Officer from the Branson Centre, Carribean and Sir Richard Branson.