Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

Who can attend Caribbean Marketplace?

Caribbean Marketplace is open to companies that qualify under the following categories:

• Suppliers – Hotels (bed and breakfasts, chains, management companies, resorts, timeshares, villas), Attractions, Destination Management Companies, Restaurants, Tourist Boards and Transportation Companies (airlines, automobile rentals, motorcoach).

Suppliers must be CHTA members in good standing. If your company is interested in attending and need to submit a membership application, you can contact the Membership Department at membership@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com or via phone at 305-443-3040.

• Buyers - senior staff members from tour operators and/or wholesalers. Buyer participation is by invitation only and new companies can request approval for registration.

Hotel Chains and Hotel Representative Companies may only represent CHTA member hotels in good financial standing. If your company is a Hotel Chain or Hotel Representative Company, you must register to represent all your Caribbean properties and each must be a fully paid member of CHTA.  Selective representation by a Chain or Hotel Representative Company is NOT allowed.

What type of companies are not eligible to attend Caribbean Marketplace?

Companies that are providers to the hospitality and tourism industry and that provide products for the hotels. CHTA Allied members, except magazines and marketing related services cannot attend this event.

What is the format for Caribbean Marketplace?

The two day event consists of pre-scheduled appointments between suppliers and buyers. Caribbean Marketplace is not a typical trade show as the main objective is for suppliers and buyers to conduct negotiations that benefit the region.

Is the event open to visitors and/or general public? Are spouses allowed to participate at any scheduled event?

Due to the business nature of the event, only registered delegates are allowed at the event, including social functions. Tickets are not sold for social events as these events are considered a networking opportunity.

What is the proper attire for the event?

The recommend attire for the event is business casual; however, please note that the selling floor is air-conditioned; therefore temperature could be lower inside the floor.

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Registration

As a Supplier, can I attend Caribbean Marketplace without Purchasing a Booth?

No, due to the business nature of the event, Supplier participation at Caribbean Marketplace requires the purchase of a booth. The booth serves as a meeting area where the appointments take place.

Why do I need to identify a Primary Delegate?

The primary delegate is the person at your company that is designated the main point of contact for communication regarding the registration process. The primary delegate is the only delegate to receive all registration correspondence (i.e. Appointment Schedules and Registration Confirmations). The primary delegate is responsible for notifying CHTA in writing on company letterhead of any registration changes, cancellations or additions.

What is the process to collect credentials at the event?

Registration is open during the following hours:
Saturday 1:00pm - 6:00pm
Sunday 10:00am - 6:00pm
Monday 7:30am - 6:00pm

Registered delegates must visit the registration desk during these hours to collect their credentials. Credentials are prepared in envelopes by company name. Each delegate must be at the registration desk to collect the materials.

What is the policy for Name Badges?

Each registered Delegate is issued a name badge along with a wristband, which is for use only by the Delegate named on the badge. The badge and wristband must be made available to the security guard for entrance to the selling floor and working lunches. If requested, Delegates must be able to produce photo identification to match the name on the badge. If the badge or wristband is lost during the event, the replacement fee is U$25.00 per item lost.

Misuse of Delegate badges, which includes sharing, rotating or exchanging badges, registering a delegate that represents a CHTA member who does not qualified to attend the event or is an expired member is not allowed, and any Supplier company/delegate found misusing Delegate badges will be removed from the Caribbean Marketplace Business Floor with no refund of fees paid.

Should I arrange for airport transfers in advance?

Delegates could arrange their airport transfers directly before the event. Buyer delegates receive complimentary round trip transfers by presenting the voucher which is sent prior to the event to registered buyers.

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Appointments

How can I get the most of Caribbean Marketplace?

CHTA recommends that each delegate reviews the How To Get The Most Of Caribbean Marketplace which is available under the Event Material information at the CHTA Website. This document identifies the steps that you need to take before, during and after the event as it relates to the appointment process.

When can I request appointments?

The passport which provides access to request appointments is open in August. All appointment taking and sharing appointment delegates will receive a notification when the passport is available. The deadline to submit pre-scheduled appointment requests is December 10th.

How many possible appointments are there?

There are 44 appointment slots. Each Buyer appointment taking delegate can have up to 44 pre-scheduled appointments.

For suppliers, the amount of appointments is based on the booth size:

• Shared and Small Booth - up to 44 pre-scheduled appointments
• Large Booth - up to 88 pre-scheduled appointments
• Mega Booth - up to 88 pre-scheduled appointments

How can I schedule additional appointments?

Additional appointments can be scheduled on-site at Caribbean Marketplace. Business Appointments, Social Events, and anytime prior to Caribbean Marketplace are perfect times to schedule additional appointments.  Study the Passport to identify companies of interest.  Then, seek out representatives of those companies and schedule appointments at mutually convenient times.

How are the Appointments Scheduled?

Appointments are scheduled by the computer based on

1. Perfect matches – a mutual Buyer and Supplier request
2. Buyer only requests for supplier

The system schedules the request based on the order the appointment requests are listed. It is therefore important to prioritize your requests for appointments.

What is a Double Appointment?

A single appointment is 20 minutes, with 5 minutes in between each appointment. Only Buyers may request a double or “back to back” appointment of 45 minutes with those Supplier companies with whom they require more negotiating time.

What happens after the appointments are scheduled?

Once the appointments are scheduled, the appointment taking delegate will receive a notification to view the schedule online. The schedule will list all appointments by date and time. You will also receive a prospect list which lists all appointments not scheduled from:

• Companies you requested to see but for whom there was no common time for the computer to schedule the appointment;
• Supplier only requests for buyer companies – the Buyer did not request to see that Supplier.

Prospect lists will be accessible on the website to Buyers and Suppliers prior to Marketplace to permit direct follow up. You should contact these companies to entice them to meet with you.

What are Working Lunches?

The lunches provide delegates with additional time for networking or for appointments that could not be scheduled via the system. All appointment-taking delegates have two appointment periods blocked for lunch, which is scheduled from 12:20pm to 2:50pm on Monday and Tuesday.

How to Request Appointments via the Internet?

To request appointments via the internet, simply log on to the CHTA website at www.caribbeanhotelassociation.com, click on the Caribbean Marketplace logo and then go to the heading Passport.

You must be registered as an appointment-taking or sharing appointment delegate, and have your delegate ID and password, which will be emailed to you in advance.

The first page you come to will display information that we have gathered on your company. By selecting "Next" a page will be displayed with the following Menu options in the form of Passport Stamps.

• "View Request List" - This allows you to view all appointment requests that you have submitted.
• "View who has requested you" - You can see which companies have requested an appointment with your company.
• "Online Directory" - This selection allows you to search for companies by different categories as well as display their profiles.

Follow the simple steps for selecting your appointments and submit. It is quick, easy, and accurate!

What happens if I cannot access the appointments via the Internet?

If you are unable to access the appointments online, you should notify the CHTA Conferences & Events Department to allow them to review if there is problem with the system and the settings in your computer. If after a review, you cannot access the appointments, you must ask for a list of the Appointment Codes for Buyers or Suppliers and an appointment request form.

On this form, you must list, by priority your appointment requests which will be entered in the system by the Conferences and Events department.

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Shipping Instructions

If you are shipping materials to Caribbean Marketplace please click here for detailed instructions.

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Booth Information

(Applies only to supplier registration)

Booth Size and equipment provided with the booth.

Booth size corresponds to the type of booth purchased.

The Small Shared Booth measures 6 feet wide and 8 feet deep. This option is available only to small hotels up to 75 rooms and attractions. Two companies share the 6 feet by 8 feet space and each have an individual table. This booth is provided with 3 chairs, a wastebasket, sign with company name and a 2’ x 4’ skirted table.

(Click here to enlarge)



The Small Booth measures 6 feet wide and 8 feet deep. This booth is provided with 3 chairs a wastebasket, sign with company name and a 2’ x 4’ skirted table.

(Click here to enlarge)





The Large Booth measures 8 feet wide and 8 feet deep. This booth is provided with 4 chairs a wastebasket, sign with company name and a 2’x 6’ table.

(Click here to enlarge)


The Mega Booth measures 10 feet wide and 8 feet deep. This booth is provided with 5 chairs a wastebasket, sign with company name and a 2’ x 6’ table.

(Click here to enlarge)

Information on shipping, installation, furniture rental and booth accessories, such as floral arrangements and electricity, are included on the Caribbean Marketplace web page.

What type of booth structure is provided and are there any restrictions in terms of size?

Booths are hard shell, with 3 foot high dividers between booths. Posters are acceptable to hang on the booth walls. Please bring tape to hang your posters. If you have a pre-built booth, side walls must not extend more than 3 feet from the back of the booth, as this will obstruct the view of neighboring booths and should not be higher than 8 feet. Displays in the aisle or in front of your booth are not allowed. Booth Headers must not be removed..

Can I Request a Special Location for my Booth?

Supplier booth locations are assigned by country based on your address if your registration is received prior to December 1st. Request for special location must be indicated at the time of registration.

If there is a special group of companies or hotel that you would like to be located with, the request must be made mutually by each organization and the request should be listed on your registration form. CHTA cannot guarantee booth placement requests.

When can I Set Up my Booth? And Tear It Down?

The hours for exhibit set-up are indicated in the schedule of events. All booths must be completely set-up by 5:00 p.m. on the Opening day. Booth teardown is from 4:30 p.m. on the final day.

As the business atmosphere must be maintained throughout Caribbean Marketplace, booth tear-down is not allowed until after 4:30 p.m. on the final day.

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Rental Items for booths

Each booth is provided with a skirted table, chairs, wastebasket and 110v electrical outlet.  Should you require any additional rental items for the booth such as flowers, audiovisual and additional electricity, please click here to download document.

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