REMINDER/Delegation of Spanish Technology Companies To Attend Spain-Florida Strategic Partners Forum.

Business Editors/Technology Writers

REMINDER...for June 4-6 (Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday)

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 4, 2001

32 Spanish Companies Arriving On June 3rd Seeking Local

Presence and Strategic Partnerships in Miami

A delegation of 32 Spanish technology companies, led by The Trade Commission of Spain in Miami & ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade), will be arriving in the Miami area to attend the Spain-Florida Strategic Partners Forum, where US companies will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one and conduct business with the delegation. Decision makers representing leading Spanish technology companies, covering a wide range of products and services including; ASP, software, wireless technology, e-commerce, telephony, information systems, and research & development - will be seeking joint ventures, alliances/partnerships, technology solutions and venture capital to conduct business based in South Florida.

The event is being held on June 4, 5 & 6 at The Omni Colonnade Hotel and is being organized by the Trade Commission of Spain in Miami and ICEX. The seminar has also helped to pool the efforts of the various technology groups seeking to brand South Florida as a technology center towards a common goal - to help establish South Florida as the technology gateway to the Americas. The local groups who have collectively worked on this project include: Miami Internet Alliance, InternetCoast, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Association of Internet Professionals, First Tuesday, the Beacon Council, the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce, eFiltro and many others.

The delegation is a continuation of the efforts of the Trade Commission of Spain in Miami and ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade), who together with the help of the Miami Internet Alliance organized the "Florida: Strategic Center in the Americas for Spain's Internet & I.T. companies" which took place in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain on March 6th and 7th of this year. The seminar, which attracted over 200 attendees, resulted in 50 Internet & IT related Spanish companies signing up to participate at the "Spain-Florida: Internet & I.T. Strategic Partners Forum." Of those companies who signed up, 32 were strategically qualified to join the upcoming program in Florida on June 4-6.

According to the Trade Commission of Spain latest report, Florida already has one of the largest concentrations of Spanish companies doing business in the United States, and technology, telecommunication and Internet related services have their largest representation of the Spanish business community in Florida. "Florida, and more specifically Miami are perceived by Spanish companies as the optimal location to develop their strategies toward Latin American markets, and to target the Hispanic segment of the US population," said Begona Cristeto, Trade Commissioner of Spain in Miami. Manny Gonzalez, Managing Director with the Miami Internet Alliance added further: "Miami is ranked number five as a telecommunications hub, and offers one of the most inexpensive and efficient telecommunications facilities than any country in Latin America. It's well-educated multilingual work force makes it a perfect place for I.T. Internet and Telecommunications."

About Spain-Florida I.T. Strategic Partners Forum

The Spain-Florida Strategic Partners Forum, is being held on June 4, 5 & 6 at the Omni Colonnade Hotel in Miami and is organized by the Trade Commission of Spain in Miami and ICEX. The Forum gives US companies the opportunity to meet one-on-one and conduct business with decision makers representing Spanish technology companies. These Spanish technology companies, which cover a wide range of products and services including; ASP, software, wireless technology, e-commerce, telephony, information systems, and research & development - will be seeking joint ventures, alliances/partnerships, technology solutions and venture capital to conduct business based in South Florida.

The profiles & specifications of the 32 Spanish companies that will be attending the Spain-Florida I.T. Strategic Partners Forum, are now available on the InternetCoast Website at www.internetcoast.com/spain, where prospective registrants can register free of charge for the program. Registrants will also have access to the full event program, and RSVP for the Spain-Florida I.T. Networking reception that will be held on June 5th from 6PM to 9PM at Miami-Dade Community College Wolfson Campus Conference Center, where the 32 Spanish companies participating in the Florida-Spain Strategic Partners Forum will showcase/exhibit in front of the local decision-makers.

About ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade) and the Trade Commission of Spain

The Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) is an agency of the Spanish Ministry of Economy serving Spanish companies in order to promote their exports and facilitate their international expansion. The Institute acts mainly in the areas of: training in foreign trade, information on foreign markets, publications & databases, business opportunity dissemination, specialized advisory services, promotional resources on foreign markets (such as Trade Fairs & Trade Missions), international projects & bidding, foreign investment and business cooperation. To effectively meet its objectives, the ICEX is assisted by the Network of Spanish Commercial Offices abroad. It also coordinates its programs with those of the Autonomous Regions, Chambers of Commerce, Associations, Confederation of Employers Organizations (CEOE) and other institutions related to international commerce. (http://www.icex.es)