The Panama Canal Authority to Sponsor Retail Conference (RILA) in Orlando and Host Major Retailers in Panama

PANAMA CITY, Panama, January 24, 2011 – The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) will sponsor the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Logistics Conference in Orlando, Florida February 20-23, 2011. The conference will bring together representatives of all major retail and consumer product segments, along with relevant solutions providers.

In addition, the ACP will host a select number of representatives from major retails on a post-conference trip to Panama.

As part of the ACP trip, retailers will have the opportunity to visit Panama alongside ACP leaders to learn about the various advantages and opportunities that Panama has to offer.

Panama is fast becoming the transportation and logistics hub of the Americas with its unmatched regional connectivity, strategic location, world-famous Canal that joins more than 144 trade routes across the globe, and strong economy. All of these things, combined with its dollarized economy, make Panama an attractive location for foreign companies to establish their Latin American headquarters.

The country offers unparalleled special incentives for multinational companies doing business abroad, such as tax exemptions and flexible relocation procedures for executives in managerial positions and their families.

Today’s supply chain leaders rely on safe, reliable and efficient service to get their goods to market and recognize the added value when doing business in Panama. As a result, multinational corporations like Maersk Central America, VF Corporation, Procter & Gamble, LG Consulting, Roche, Caterpillar, Nestlé Central America, Phillips, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Cemex, Dell, 3M and Heineken, among many others, have all established their regional headquarters in Panama.

These companies have come to the Isthmus to capitalize on a myriad of benefits including economies of scale in shipping, a dollarized economy, specially tailored tax incentives and ready access to more than 470 million consumers in North, South and Central America and the Caribbean.

This trip will occur February 23-25, and will include meetings with key government officials and business leaders, including Panamanian Vice Minister of Foreign Trade José Domingo Arias. In addition, tours to the country’s logistics facilities will include the Manzanillo International Terminal Port, Colon Free Zone, Panama Canal Railway, Panama Pacific Special Economic Area and the Panama Canal expansion site.

For more information about Panama’s advantages for retailers and the ACP’s post-RILA Panama trip, please contact Autumn Lotze at 703-600-2027 or autumn.lotze@rila.org.

About the Panama Canal Authority (ACP)

The ACP is the autonomous agency of the Government of Panama in charge of managing, operating and maintaining the Panama Canal. The operation of the ACP is based on its organic law and the regulations approved by its Board of Directors. For more information, please refer to the ACP's Web site: www.pancanal.com. You can also follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thepanamacanal.