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LAFAYETTE INTERNATIONAL
CENTER CALENDAR |
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revised 03-12-2019 |
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april 2019 |
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Festival International de Louisiane
Apr. 24-28 | Downtown Lafayette, Louisiana
Festival International de Louisiane is the largest International music and arts festival in the United States with a special emphasis on the connection between Acadiana and the Francophone world, having an estimated economic impact of $49m annually. With over 300,000 festival-goers every year, this annual festival features musical artists from over 20 countries along with workshops, exhibits, visual art, theater and other forms of performance arts. The 5-day festival is held in April transforming downtown Lafayette, Louisiana into an entertainment mecca.
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International Achievement Award Ceremony
Apr. 25 | Jefferson Street Pub | Lafayette, Louisiana
Established in 1998, the Award is presented annually to honor an individual, organization or company that has significantly enhanced Acadiana’s international reputation. Primary consideration is accorded to individuals whose activities have helped draw economic benefits to the Lafayette area. By invitation.
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may 2019 |
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OTC (Offshore Technology Conference)
May 6-9 | NRG Park, Houston, Texas
Taking place annually since 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) draws together energy professionals to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters. OTC’s flagship conference is held annually at NRG Park (formerly Reliant Park) in Houston.
OTC has expanded technically and globally with the Arctic Technology Conference, OTC Brazil and OTC Asia. The conference features international pavilions, outdoor exhibits, technical presentations, topical breakfast and luncheons, and panel sessions. OTC is sponsored by 13 industry organizations and societies, who work cooperatively to develop the technical program.
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june 2019 |
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Global Petroleum Show (GPS)
Jun. 11 – 13 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada
This three-day Canadian event is one of the largest oil and gas events in North America. Alberta is Canada’s largest oil and natural gas producer and is home to vast oil sands deposits. Calgary is the epicenter of the energy industry in Canada with head offices of every major company in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors located in the city. During these three days, over 100 experts will speak at various conference sessions during the week and more than 1000 companies are participating in the exhibition.
The U.S. Department of Commerce pavilion includes about two dozen booths, highlighted by booths from the states of West Virginia and Louisiana. Vanessa Paredes, of the Lafayette International Center, will be leading the Louisiana delegation, along with Louisiana Economic Development (LED). She will also be prospecting for trade leads and promoting LAGCOE.
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july 2019 |
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International Summer School Vertech City 2019 – on sustainable cities (ISS-VERTECH)
Jul. 13-20 | Namur, Belgium
In 2017, the VERTECH network launched an international summer school on environmental, socio-economic and socio-entrepreneurial issues related to sustainable urbanism. Green technologies, eco-industrial parks, smart cities, sustainable transport, urban agriculture, waste management, water treatment, and sustainable chemistry are among the themes discussed during the school.
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VERTECH Meeting
TBD | Namur, Belgium
The VERTECH network (formerly SESAME) is a group of medium-sized cities with novel initiatives in sustainable development (Poitiers, France; Lafayette, Louisiana, USA; Namur, Belgium; and Victoriaville, Québec, Canada). The network examines global and durable solutions and facilitates the development of collaborations.
VERTECH organizes activities for networking and exchanging ideas between delegations from each member city with municipal actors, local businesses, institutions and research centers. The network organizes the VERTECH symposium and the international student competition “VERTECH CITY” every one or two years, and also initiates international research and innovation projects.
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august 2019 |
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Acadian World Congress 2019 (Congrès Mondial Acadien 2019)
Aug. 10-29 | Prince Edward Island and southeast New Brunswick, Canada
The World Acadian Congress is a festival of Acadian and Cajun culture and history, held every five years. The sixth edition of Congrès Mondial Acadien will promote a contemporary Acadie in both its urban and rural life. It will allow its young people to express their Acadian pride through interactions with other generations and will continue to develop its sustainable links between southeastern New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
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Reseau des Villes Francophones & Francophiles d’Amérique (RVFFA)
Aug.15-17 | Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
The Network of Francophone and Francophile Cities in America co-sponsored by founding member cities of Lafayette, Moncton and Québec gathers to discuss the development of tourist trails in North America and other issues.
The Network is generating excitement across the continent. It has more than 140 member cities, with this number growing, and brings together on a single platform the tourist, geographical and historical attractions of major cities in French-speaking North America. Eventually, the alliance of these cities will create tours for travelers from around the world.
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Economic Forum—Working Together for Greater Prosperity
Aug.21-22 | Moncton & Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada
This economic forum, piloted by RDÉE NB (New Brunswick Economic Development and Employability Network) in collaboration with RDÉE IPE (Prince Edward Island), will be held on August 21 and 22 in the Moncton/Dieppe region, during the Acadian World Congress.
The event will provide participants with an unparalleled business opportunity, promoting the establishment of partnerships and alliances between Francophone entrepreneurs from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and other provinces or countries participating in the CMA 2019. The objective of the two-day summit is to increase trade between provinces and countries, promote business matchmaking, and strengthen French as a language of business.
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september 2019 |
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Fêtes de Wallonie
Sept. 8-23 | Namur, Belgium
Since 1923, these festivals have celebrated patriotism and pride in the French-speaking Walloon region of Belgium. While these celebrations take place in many areas in this southern region of the country, they are particularly successful in Lafayette’s sister city of Namur, where more than 250,000 people gravitate during the weekend. Several days of street performances, a battle of the famous “Echasseurs” stilt-walkers, performances of folklore singers and dancers, and programming aimed at visitors of all ages, with all of downtown Namur turned into a pedestrian fair.
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Acadiana Cup Golf Exchange 2019 The 21st annual tournament.
TBD | Namur, Belgium
The Acadiana Cup golf tournament was created in 1998, in Lafayette, Louisiana, in a spirit of friendly competition between Lafayette and her sister city of Poitiers, France. In the five years that followed, players were added from Namur (Belgium), Moncton (New Brunswick, Canada), Nîmes (France) and Prince Edward Island (Canada). Hosting the tournament rotates among the member cities, with the location alternating between North America and Europe.
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october 2019 |
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Latin Music Festival 2019 —17th Festival
Saturday, Oct. 6 | 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM | Parc International, downtown Lafayette
This Festival is organized and presented by the Asociación Cultural Latino-Acadiana (ACLA), a volunteer organization at the service of the Acadiana community in general and its Latin American members in particular. ACLA offers the free, family-friendly Latin Music Festival and other programs to promote multiculturalism and preserve Latin heritage. Their objective is to promote among its members and their families the fundamental values of our community: GOD, COUNTRY, FAMILY and FRIENDS, while preserving our heritage.
They work to assist all immigrants of Latin descent residing in Acadiana, regardless of place of origin and religion, to orient and make them aware of existing resources; facilitate learning the language, their obligations and rights; facilitate educational, employment and business opportunities, as well as the procurement of services; so as to developing responsible and productive community members.
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Festivals Acadiens et Créoles
Oct. 10-13 | Girard Park, Lafayette, Louisiana
The first Tribute to Cajun Music in 1974 took Cajun and Creole music out of the dancehalls and onto a concert stage at Blackham Coliseum. Forty-three years later, the tribute has grown into a three-day celebration of music, food, art, crafts, museum exhibits, symposiums, film screenings and more. The celebration is a giant among Lafayette’s festivals, attracting people of all ages, of many different nationalities from all over the world. Admission is free.
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LAGCOE 2019 (Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition) International Trade Center
Oct. 9-11 | Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
LAGCOE is a nonprofit energy industry organization focused on educational programs and a technical exposition & conference. LAGCOE’s mission is to cultivate economic growth of the energy industry by facilitating domestic & global business development and fostering the energy workforce pipeline. LAGCOE’s vision is to be a robust, sustainable community of energy companies and volunteers that promotes energy education and awareness; connects businesses with opportunities; and showcases the Gulf Coast’s technical innovations to the world.
Every two years, LAGCOE hosts an exposition featuring the latest in equipment and technology, welcoming to Lafayette thousands from the oil and gas industry, from dozens of countries.
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december 2019 |
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39th General Assembly of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF)
Dec. 3-5 | Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The AIMF (International Association of French-speaking Mayors) is an operating agency for urban development comprised of 48 countries or governments. The goal is to establish close cooperation in all areas of municipal activities. Its missions are to strengthen local democracy, building municipal capacities, and to support the populations. The Association pursues its actions in the domains of health, culture, youth and education, urban development, training, and municipal infrastructures
This network of elected officials meets to discuss topics of interest related to economic and cultural development. The theme of the General Assembly has yet to be announced.
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august 2020 |
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Reseau des Villes Francophones & Francophiles d’Amérique (RVFFA)
TBA | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
The Network of Francophone and Francophile Cities in America co-sponsored by founding member cities of Lafayette, Moncton and Québec gathers to discuss the development of tourist trails in North America and other issues.
The Network is generating excitement across the continent. It has more than 140 member cities, with this number growing, and brings together on a single platform the tourist, geographical and historical attractions of major cities in French-speaking North America. Eventually, the alliance of these cities will create tours for travelers from around the world.
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