Guest speakers of international renown

international renown

This year sees the tourism in dustry in Fiji celebrate its 25th anniversary convention.

Over the 25 years that this important annual event has been staged, many changes have taken place in the in dustry.

But 1986 marks a milestone.

That’s why the organising com mittee of the Silver Convention have planned an event to re memebr both as a spectacle and for the program content.

Previous convention atten dee and newcomers alike have been receiving the same mes sage for months;

“The silver jubilee event is the one event on this year’s pacific tourism calendar that you cannot afford to miss.”

The Silver Convention has been planned as a showpiece for the industry and for Fiji as a whole.

“Doing business” is the com mon aim of all at the conven tion which will provide plenty of opportunities to do just that under the umbrella of the celebrations marking 25 years of Fiji tourism conventions.

And an event of this signi ficance warrants an impressive line-up of guest speakers.

The Silver Convention organisers have risen to the occasion. The four speakers, headed by prime minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, who will open the meeting with a keynote address, are drawn from the top levels of politics, commerce and tourism.

The speakers: Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Became prime minister of Fiji when the country gained independence from Britain in 1970 and has held the position ever since. Under his leadership Fiji has established itself as the most progressive and stable

nation in the South Pacific, Knighted in 1969 and sworn in as a privy council member four years later Ratu Mara’s abiding concern has been to ensure that the country evolves a strong and self-sufficient eco nomy.

Tourism is the country’s main '° rei S n exchan 3f earner and the pnme minister is actively involved in the industry, hoi ding the portfolio of the Minister for Air Pacific, the nation’s airline.

In agreeing to deliver the keynote address, the prime minister has ensured that the theme of investment and

Savenaca Siwatibau...respected around the world.

Richard Hartman...wide management experience.

opportunity is off to a positive start.

Richard Hartman, Director of operations for the newly created Asia Pacific division of the Sheraton group with headquarters in Hong Kong. A long serving Sheraton em ployee, Hartman has wide ex perience in management.

His presence at the Silver Convention is timely with the scheduled opening later this year of the Sheraton at Nadi.

After the hotel’s involvement in negotiations with the Fiji government. Hartman will be ideally placed to provide insight on why Sheraton chose Fiji and how they went about the task.

Savenaca Siwatibau. Gov ernor, the Reserve Bank of Fiji.

Siwatibau’s name is highly re spected in financial circles in Fiji and in the region. He has been governor of the reserve bank for the past two years after

being general manager of the Central Monetary Authority of Fiji.

In 1978 he went to Washing ton for two years as alternate executive director of the In ternational Monetary Fund.

George Warde. Has been associated with the airline in dustry for over 46 years and has held positions ranging from engineering and maintenance to operations and manage ment. He has worked with companies such as American Airlines, Pan Am and has been a consultant on airline matters to the US government and corporations including Airbus Industrie.

Warde became president of the Pacific division of Contin ental Airlines in April last year and, with Continental’s com mitment and involvement in the region, he will be a major attraction.

George Warde...a major convention draw.