Prime Minister James Marape is expected to open the four-day Inaugural StartupPNG Entrepreneurship & Impact Convention on Sunday, December 8, at APEC Haus.
The Convention was originally scheduled to be held at the International Convention Center on November 19 with 96 speakers and over 1,200 people confirmed to attend, but a fire forced the closure of the building and the rescheduling of the event.
Fortunately, APEC Haus was made available for the Convention with dates changed to 8 – 12 December, and with the extra time, more SMEs have signed up to participate in the SME Marketplace and additional speakers have been added to the program.
With the use of the iconic APEC Haus venue, the organisers have decided to turn the carpark around the APEC Haus into a Christmas SME day and night marketplace featuring PNG SMEs, which is open to all residents of Port Moresby.
Chairman of the Convention organiser, The Kumul Foundation Inc, Anthony Smaré, confirmed the new arrangements and praised the PNG entrepreneurship community for their support of the Convention.
“We are amazed by how the entrepreneurship and SME community have adjusted their plans and thrown support behind the new dates and the new venue for the Convention,” Smare stated.
“Over a thousand tickets have been sold and people are attending from all over PNG. The speakers are still confirmed.
“We are going to open at 11am on Sunday 8 December, when most people have finished church and can turn out to hear PM Marape present his vision for entrepreneurship as well as the other speakers, and also see, meet and support the PNG SMEs and entrepreneurs who are present.
“I encourage business leaders to sign up for our VIP business program and I strongly encourage the SMEs to sign up for the SME MarketPlace, which will be the hottest venue in Port Moresby between 8 – 12 December. Visit our StartupPNG Facebook page for more information.”
General admission weekly tickets are K165 per person from Ticketmasta outlets.
(The convention will be hosted at the APEC Haus)