Myrtle Beach, Canada pair in trade

Myrtle Beach will welcome a slew of U.S. and Canadian leaders in 2012 for a conference promoting cross-border trade and investment, according to Clarke Thompson, an international trade specialist with the S.C. Department of Commerce.

South Carolina will host the Southeastern United States-Canadian Provinces Alliance Conference for the first time in May 2012, Thompson said before speaking at a luncheon Tuesday afternoon in Myrtle Beach that focused on relations between the Grand Strand and Canada. The Department of Commerce selected Myrtle Beach as the location for the conference because of the Grand Strand's existing relationship with Canada, he said.

The host of the conference rotates between U.S. states and Canadian provinces each year on a set schedule, and the host can determine where to hold the event.

The event is the latest link in the longtime relationship between Myrtle Beach andCanada. Myrtle Beach has a Canadian-American Days celebration each March.

"We knew that South Carolina was to be the host in 2012; we just didn't know where we'd have it," Thompson said. "We looked to Myrtle Beach because of the longtime link with Can-Am days."

The conference promotes business ties between Canada and all of the Southeast, but hosting the event could bring added benefits to Myrtle Beach.

The event will generate revenue for Grand Strand tourism businesses in spring when the area generally has a lot of hotel rooms to fill, said Brad Dean, president and chief executive of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. But the benefits aren't limited to tourism, Dean said.

"The greater opportunity will be to showcase what the Grand Strand can offer to attract new industry and higher-paying jobs to people who are specifically involved in economic development," he said.

The event will include one-on-one meetings between Canadian and Southeastern businesses to explore possible business partnerships, Thompson said.

The conference is expected to draw several hundred attendees including Canadian and U.S. government officials, representatives from southeastern states and business leaders. The Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee comprise the U.S. participants in the conference.

Myrtle Beach hosted a conference in 2007 between representatives of Canada and the U.S. during Can-Am Days, drawing fewer than 100 people, said Kimberly Miles of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. The event was not continued in subsequent years, she said.

The 2012 conference will outdo its 2007 predecessor, Thompson declared.

The most recent Southeastern United States-Canadian Provinces Alliance Conference in Biloxi, Miss., in May drew about 400 people, and the 2012 conference should draw even more, Thompson said.

The 2011 conference will be in Fredericton, New Brunswick, with the Myrtle Beach conference being the fifth time the event is held.

David Wilkins, former S.C. Speaker of the House and U.S. ambassador to Canada under George W. Bush, will co-chair the event with a Canadian representative. Wilkins was instrumental in organizing the 2007 conference and his pull drew in high-ranking Canadian officials, including members of parliament, Miles said.

The Tuesday afternoon luncheon at the Marina Inn honored Wilkins, and speakers included the former ambassador, Thompson and Franklin Daniels, chairman of the board with the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Wilkins also used his position as the board member at Porter Airlines to push for direct service to Myrtle Beach from Toronto, he said. Porter started the service this spring, carrying 1,269 passengers from Toronto between March and May. Wilkins said he is encouraging the airline to renew the seasonal service next year.

"I'm on the board of Porter, so I'm constantly talking to them about increasing their presence in South Carolina," Wilkins said