At the 2014 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, there is a new Puerto Rico kiosk/area with food, drink, entertainment, and more. It appears now as if there are serious discussions of Puerto Rico becoming a permanent pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase soon.
Metro (translated) reported on Sept. 29, 2014, that Puerto Rico has already confirmed they will be taking part in the Food & Wine Festivals in 2015 and 2016. Serious talks are also going on to possibly begin construction on a permanent Puerto Rico Pavilion at Epcot in 2017.
This information has been confirmed by Michael Poma, Metro President of Puerto Rico International Events. He is also the architect of this year’s participation at the Food & Wine Fest.
“The plan is not just doing this event (the Food and Wine Festival this year). The contract is for three years to keep expanding the marketplace. The coming year will be an extension which will include El Yunque (the design of kiosk Puerto Rico), as in the gala … Disney was super enthusiastic, and the government knows that managed year was Puerto Rico exposed,” Poma said.
Numerous local Puerto Rican companies have already invested over $700,0o0 into the deal with Epcot. Per Metro:
At these events is who purchase Disney products after Puerto Rican brands have made the menu for resale. It was estimated that during the Food and Wine weekly Disney will buy between $ 25,000 and $ 27,000 in products to every one of about a dozen brands participating in the event, resulting in profits for local companies.
But for the employer, not conducting mass events since 2001, was not as easy to make Puerto Rico had such a successful participation in this festival. Poma said that was his nine year old daughter who motivated him to start the process to create the marketplace in Puerto Rico, so we made a promise I’d make it, “and they always keep promises to my children.” But “the event I drop almost three times. He understood the words of Walt Disney that no matter what your dream, people need to do, “he said.
“I will fight to have the stone in 2017 there” in Disney to start the permanent pavilion, which is achieved through an investment of $ 100 million over ten years (2017-2027) that would last the initial contract said. This investment will be made through a partnership between the private companies that participate in determining the flag no matter who is competent.
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Isn’t this taking an easy way out since Puerto Rico’s part of America?
I understand the importance of heritage within the Walt Disney Company. But I think with this decision to change the heritage of EPCOT with adding a US territory and not add more countries is one of the biggest mistakes the company is going to do. If the company is looking for countries to add to the World Showcase, I am sure there are plenty of countries that would be better suited for the space. Why don’t we just add the US Virgin Islands to the mix!