The Cayman Islands was represented with a branded stand at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham in October.
A team from the Government Office in London (CIGO-UK) led by Cayman Islands Representative Eric Bush JP travelled to Birmingham to attend the annual Conservative Party Conference this year to promote and educate government ministers, MPs and the conference attendees about the Cayman Islands.
The Cayman stand was fully stocked with promotional materials, fact sheets and information from the Department of Tourism and Cayman Finance. Visitors to the stand were given information and advice about the Cayman Islands, including the history and culture of the islands, with a focus on the close ties to Britain.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to remind the UK Government and the general public that the Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory, and that we are proud to be British, with a particular reference to the 60th Anniversary of our Coat of Arms.
We are sending a strong message to the Government and the public that we are British and proud of our history, our culture and our successes in luxury tourism and international financial services.
We have attended a number of UK Party Conferences over the past three years, however this is the first time we have participated in such a public manner, by hosting a stand for all to visit and interact with us.
Having a stand at the conference gives us a greater presence and offers us our own space to meet with ministers and MPs to discuss Cayman. Our presence at the conference was a great success and we are already developing plans for even more engagement for next year.” Eric Bush said.
Visitors to the stand included the Chairman of the Conservative Party, Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP, the defacto Deputy Prime Minister, Rt Hon David Roy Lidington CBE MP, the Secretary of State for international Trade, Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP, the Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt Hon Liz Truss, the Minister of State for Immigration Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP, among others.
Members of the Cayman Islands All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), including Chairman Sir Graham Brady MP and Vice Chairman Andrew Rosindell MP also visited the stand to show their support.
Mr Bush also conducted a number of interviews with UK media over the four-day conference, including a live broadcast with Sky News and an interview with the Guardian Newspaper.
