BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -
Governor Phil Bryant enthused the crowd at the Biloxi Visitors Center when he revealed that a major business conference will be held on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This will be the first time event of its kind will be held in Mississippi.
"We're happy to announce that of all the cites would could have brought SEUS Japan in 2013, I'm proud to announce that Biloxi, the state of Mississippi MDA will be the host for the 2013 SEUS Japan meeting. Right here on our beautiful Gulf Coast," Bryant said.
The Annual Joint Meeting of the Southeast US, or SEUS-Japan, was started in 1975. It brings businessmen and women together. Promoting trade and establishing international bonds. The plan is to ultimately spark major investments and economic growth for everyone involved.
"Our colleges in Japan and several states in the Southeast have come together each year and met to discuss economic development issues. Talking about what those issues might be, trade, general commerce and at the end of the day to develop friendships," SEUS-Japan Co-Chair William Yates said.
Those friendships between regions can then become the foundation of profitable investments. A major move for Mississippi, as the state as a whole is working towards a bigger and brighter future.
"We were competing with cities such as Miami, Houston and Nashville. All of those could have hosted this and we were fortunate enough to convince leadership of SEUS-Japan to come to Biloxi, Mississippi," Bryant said.
"I think it says that internationally our reputation is established. They understand where we are in the aerospace industry, they understand they we build ships here. They understand that we build Nissans and Toyotas. As we look around the world, the position of Mississippi is strong and that's why we're able to hold international meetings such as this," Bryant said.
Chief Marketing Officer of the Mississippi Development Authority, Marlo Dorsey is confident this conference will find Mississippi leaving a lasting impression on investors.
"We will visit with our neighbors in Japan as well as our sister states. We will be coming together to talk about how we can promote innovation. How we can find ways to partner to bring our communities forward, through investment and through friendship," Dorsey said. "This is a wonderful time to show everyone in the word that Mississippi is open for business and we'd love to have them come be a part of our communities."
"It's so exciting to show Japan, who is one of our major trading partners, what we have in Mississippi. The opportunity for them to invest here, that's what this is all about. (It's about) the Southeastern United states, southern states and Japan. Businessmen and women coming together to network. I think there's potential for us to get major investments out of this," Bryant said.
The conference will be November 17-19 at the Beau Rivage Casino Resort.
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