Our Featured Celebrity Guest!
Panama's own Miss Universe,
Miss Justine Pasek
appeared as a Hostess and
Master of
Ceremonies at
PanaExpo Grand Openning
on Friday May 2, 2008
Culture, excitement and opportunities of Panama where showcased in Toronto over a three day festival in May of 2008.
An extraordinarily successful PanaExpo™ 2008 was a consumer trade show that featured 32 sponsors and exhibitors from across Panama, providing Canadians with essential information about retirement, travel and investment opportunities available in this Central-American country and gave them a taste of Panama’s exciting culture, music, food and entertainment.
The three-day exhibition was held from May 2 – 4, 2008 at the Toronto Congress Centre, Canada’s newest state-of-the-art convention facility.
Prominent Panamanian companies became proud sponsors and exhibitors of the show. Among businesses participating in PanaExpo were Panamanian multi-million dollar construction industry giants such as Btesh & Virzi, Grupo Shahani, Grupo Corcione, Prodigy International featuring Playa Blanca Resort, Tribaldos Real Estate featuring Royal Decameron Golf Club project, Grupo Melo featuring Altos del Maria, a mountain retreat project popular among Canadians, as well as several projects constructed by Canadian builders in Panama.
Other exhibitors included Scotiabank, one of North America’s premier financial institutions and Canada’s most international bank, Royal LePage Your Community Realty (Canada’s #1 Brokerage for Royal LePage), and pride of the nation, John Hopkins Medicine International affiliate Hospital Punta Pacifica.
Representatives from several prestigious Panamanian law firms and investment firms were on hand to provide financial investment solutions and relocation advice for individuals looking to do business, retire or invest in Panama.
The grand opening of the show featured high profile Panamanian personalities. Jose Boyd (left), former President of Panama Real Estate Association (ACOBIR), appeared as a Keynote speaker and former Miss Universe and native Panamanian, Justine Pasek (second left) as the Master of Ceremonies.
There was no shortage of Panamanian music and entertainment. Canadians enjoyed an all-day performance, a spectacular typical dance in traditional Panamanian pollera costumes and “diablito” produced by choreographer, Professor Daisy Espinosa and performed by Tambor de Panama, a ballet group from Montreal, as well as the award winning band of Panamanian national music icon Lucho De Sedas, salsa singer Panamanian Alex Naar and a local Latin Jazz trumpet and sax duet.
The show was visited by Canada’s legendary longest serving Mayor Hazel McCallion, Mayor of Mississauga, a city satellite of Toronto where the exhibition actually took place. An 87-year old celebrated Canadian politician, Mayor McCallion, congratulated Panamanians on how they are promoting their country and concluded, “I am sure a warm welcome awaits Canadians in Panama”.
A Personal Message from the
Premier of Ontario
A Message from the
Government of Panama
Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty and Panama’s then Minister of Commerce and Industries Carmen Gisela Vergara sent warm personal messages of congratulations on the occasion of this historic event marking a significant leap in developing friendship, economic and cultural exchange between these two nations and currently, two of the strongest economies in the Western Hemisphere.
