APRIL 21-25, 2026
Tuesday, April 21
2:30 p.m. - ARRIVAL TO PANAMA Tocumen International Airport
4:00 PM - PANAMÁ 360° Liberty Latin America
6:30 p.m. HOTEL CHECK IN La Compañía Casco Antiguo
8:00 p.m. WELCOME RECEPTION: WITH PANAMA’S LEADERSHIP Private Residence
Wednesday, April 22
6:30 a.m. - BREAKFAST La Compañía Casco Antiguo
9:00 a.m. - MAYORS PANEL Museo del Canal
10:30 a.m. - COFFEE EXPERIENCE + MUSEUM EXPLORATION Museo Del Canal
11:30 a.m. - GLOBAL TRADE & CONNECTIVITY Museo Del Canal
1:00 p.m. - SOIL TO STORY: LUNCH & CONVERSATIONS Callejón del Casco + BEC EXPERIENCE
4:00 p.m. - INVESTMENT & CREATIVE ECONOMY La Manzana + Diablo Rosso
5:30 p.m. - CASCO VIEJO EXPLORATION
6:30 p.m. - EXECUTIVE TIME
THURSDAY, April 23
6:30 a.m. - OPTIONAL BIKE RIDE
6:30 a.m. - BREAKFAST La Compañía Casco Antiguo
9:30 a.m. - ECOSYSTEMS OF INNOVATION Ciudad del Saber
11:00 a.m. - DESIGN + CIRCULAR ECONOMY + SLOTH EXPERIENCE Clandestino Lab + Panama Nature Center
12:00 p.m. - LUNCH Gamboa Baking Co.
1:15 p.m. - HEALTH & BIODIVERSITY: FIRESIDE CHAT Ciudad del Saber
FRIDAY, April 24
6:30 a.m. - BREAKFAST La Compañía Casco Antiguo
9:00 a.m. - BUILDING A GLOBAL CITY COPA Corporate Office
10:30 a.m. COFFEE BREAK
11:00 a.m. - WATER & COMPETITIVENESS COPA Corporate Office
1:00 p.m. - TABLE AS TERRITORY: LUNCH & REFLECTIONS MAÍTO
4:00 p.m - HOSPITALITY & PROSPERITY La Compañía Casco Antiguo
5:30 p.m. - EXECUTIVE TIME
TUESDAY, APRIL 21
PANAMÁ 360°: Strategic Overview
4:00 - 6:00 PM
Liberty Latin America
Plaza Liberty, 12th Floor, Boulevard Costa del Este, Costa del Este, Panama City, Panama
Event Overview:
This opening session of the 2026 Americas Summit provides a high-level overview of Panama’s economic, demographic, and geopolitical landscape, positioning the country as a strategic gateway for trade, logistics, finance, and innovation across the Americas. The conversation highlights Panama’s role as a connector between regions and markets, while framing the growing economic and cultural ties between Panama and Colorado.
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Liberty Latin America is a leading communications company with approximately 9,000 employees operating in more than 20 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean under the consumer brands BTC, Flow, Liberty, and Más Móvil. The company provides residential and business customers with communications and entertainment services including digital video, broadband internet, telephony, and mobile services. Its business portfolio includes enterprise-grade connectivity, data center, hosting, and managed solutions, as well as information technology services serving customers ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises to multinational companies and government agencies. In addition, Liberty Latin America operates an extensive subsea and terrestrial fiber optic cable network connecting approximately 30 markets across the region.
SPEAKERS:
Sponsored by
Hotel Check in
6:30 - 7:30 PM
Avenida A y Calle 8, Casco Antiguo, Panama City, Panama
About the Venue:
La Compañía Casco Antiguo is a restored 17th-century Jesuit complex in the heart of Panama City's historic district, spanning three architectural periods: a Spanish colonial building from 1688, a French building from 1739, and an American building from 1904. Together, they offer a living experience of Panama's history as a crossroads of the world.
Beyond the hotel, La Compañía Hotels & Resorts includes Villa Ana, a 1928 mansion turned cultural and entertainment hub, and La Compañía del Valle, a wellness and nature retreat two hours from the city, home to Elysium Spa, the largest in the region. The collection is designed to connect visitors with Panama's culture, gastronomy, and people, and to present the country as a distinctive destination on the world stage.
Welcome Reception hosted by Jaime Alemán
8:00 - 10:00 PM
Residency of Jaime Alemán
Event Overview:
An opening evening bringing together Panamanian leadership and Colorado's delegation to mark the launch of the 2026 Americas Summit Panama.
At a time when the hemisphere calls for deeper connection, this gathering celebrates what Panama and Colorado share: a rare instinct for bridging peoples, markets, and ideas across borders and cultures. From the Canal to the Rockies, both are places where the world's currents meet.
Welcoming remarks from leaders on both sides will open a week of cross-sector collaboration, creative diplomacy, and shared purpose ,anchored in a common vision for a more connected, resilient Americas.
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Jaime E. Alemán (b. November 14, 1953, Panama) is a Panamanian attorney and diplomat. He is Senior Partner at Alemán, Cordero, Galindo & Lee (ALCOGAL) and has served in numerous public and international roles, including Panama’s Ambassador to the United States (2009–2011) and Minister of Government and Justice (1988). Earlier in his career, he was Legal Adviser at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C.
Alemán holds a BA in Economics, magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame (1975) and a Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law (1978). He is admitted to the District of Columbia Bar and the Panama Bar.
An avid explorer, he became in 2020 the first Hispanic-American to visit all 193 United Nations member states. He later reached both the North and South Poles (2024) and flew to space aboard Blue Origin’s NS-32 mission in 2025, becoming the first person in history to have visited every UN country, both poles, and space.
He is the author of La Honestidad no Tiene Precio and Alrededor del Mundo en 40 Años. He is married to Pilar Arosemena de Alemán, with whom he has three children.
SPEAKERS:
ENTERTAInMENT:
Sponsored by
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Wednesday, April 22
MAYORS PANEL
9:00 - 10:30 AM
Plaza de la Independencia, Calle 5a Este, Casco Antiguo, Panama City, Panama
PANEL Overview:
From public safety and mobility to housing affordability, digital services, and civic trust, mayors are managing the most complex and contested terrain in modern governance, often with fewer resources than the problems demand. This session brings together mayors from Panama and Colorado for an unscripted conversation about what it actually takes to lead a city in 2026. The discussion will explore how technology is being deployed to improve service delivery and community participation, how cities are rebuilding trust after periods of protest and polarization, and what urban leaders on both sides of the hemisphere can learn from each other.
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Built in 1875 and transferred to the Panama Canal Museum's Board of Trustees in 1996, this landmark building in Casco Antiguo has welcomed visitors since 1997. The museum is a non-profit dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Panama and its Canal through permanent and temporary exhibitions spanning art, culture, archaeology, and photography.
More than an archive, it serves as a living platform for education, dialogue, and community engagement, connecting local and international audiences to Panama's heritage and contemporary culture.
SPEAKERS:
Sponsored by
COFFEE EXPERIENCE + MUSEUM EXPLORATION
10:30 - 11:30 AM
Plaza de la Independencia, Calle 5a Este, Casco Antiguo, Panama City, Panama
Experience Overview:
Hosted by Siete Granos and led by Chef Amael Candanedo, this guided coffee tasting offers an introduction to Panama’s world-renowned specialty coffee culture. Set inside the historic Museo del Canal, guests will sample exceptional Panamanian coffees while learning about the country’s unique terroir, craftsmanship, and growing global reputation.
Chef Amael E. Candanedo is a leading figure in Panamanian gastronomy with a comprehensive vision of the industry. A recognized host of the program “La Cocina de Ají,” he combines his culinary expertise with his entrepreneurial role as a barista and owner of the Siete Granos coffee shop chain, serving awarded Panamanian coffee.
SPEAKERS:
Sponsored by
GLOBAL TRADE & CONNECTIVITY
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Plaza de la Independencia, Calle 5a Este, Casco Antiguo, Panama City, Panama
Panel Overview:
Panama’s geographic advantage has long placed it at the center of global commerce. This conversation convenes leaders in trade law, diplomacy, and economic development to explore how policy, investment, and partnerships are shaping the future of hemispheric trade.
From the Panama Canal and free trade zones to the U.S.–Panama Trade Promotion Agreement, the discussion will examine how regulatory alignment, diplomacy, and private sector leadership are strengthening cross-border connectivity.
The panel will also highlight opportunities for Colorado’s key export sectors, including aerospace, energy technology, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing, to expand commercial ties with Panama and across Latin America.
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Built in 1875 and transferred to the Panama Canal Museum's Board of Trustees in 1996, this landmark building in Casco Antiguo has welcomed visitors since 1997. The museum is a non-profit dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Panama and its Canal through permanent and temporary exhibitions spanning art, culture, archaeology, and photography.
More than an archive, it serves as a living platform for education, dialogue, and community engagement, connecting local and international audiences to Panama's heritage and contemporary culture.
SPEAKERS:
Sponsored by
SOIL TO STORY: LUNCH AND CONVERSATIONS
1:00 - 3:30 PM
Callejón del Casco + BEC Experience
LUNCH: Callejon del sona, C. 11 Oeste, Panamá, Provincia de Panamá, Panama
BEC EXPERIENCE: Calle Avenida Pablo Arosemena y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Edificio Brand Experience Center PB, Casco Antiguo, Panamá, Provincia de Panamá, Panama
EVENT Overview:
We will begin with a lunch experience from 1:30 - 2:30 PM, where each table is hosted by a Panamanian leader, fostering casual, meaningful conversation and exchange.
Voices spanning municipal leadership, cacao transformation, international organizations, specialty coffee, filmmaking, global trade, and environmental stewardship explore how the human factor in storytelling and radical specificity transform the local into the global, showing how Panama’s soft power is built one origin story at a time.
The experience continues at 2:30 at BEC, with an immersive museum exploration alongside the founders of Lamastus Coffee and Boacao Chocolate, tracing the journey from soil to story.
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The BEC (Brand Experience Center) is an immersive museum experience located in Casco Antiguo, the historic district of Panama City. The project brings together iconic Panamanian brands and products of global quality, sharing their stories, innovation and cultural impact through interactive exhibits and curated experiences.
Through the BEC experience, visitors can go beyond traditional tourism and connect with Panama in a more authentic way.Inspired by our “Become Local” concept, the museum invites travelers to discover the flavors, stories and creativity that locals love, allowing them to feel part of Panama’s culture, even during a short visit.
SPEAKERS / Hosts:
Sponsored by
INVESTment & CREATIVE ECONOMY
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
La Manzana + Diablo Rosso
La Manzana, Calle 15, Santa Ana, Ciudad de Panamá
Panel Overview:
As cities across the Americas rethink growth, the creative economy has been a powerful driver of innovation, identity, and inclusive development. This panel explores how strategic investment in the arts—through public-private partnerships, philanthropy, and cultural infrastructure—can generate economic opportunity while strengthening community resilience and cultural ecosystems.
The conversation will examine current approaches to funding creative industries, supporting artists as entrepreneurs, and leveraging cultural assets to attract talent, tourism, and long-term investment. Speakers will also address how to ensure these investments are equitable, locally rooted, and responsive to the evolving dynamics of urban change.
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La Manzana is a fully restored, block-spanning building designed to foster connections between artists, entrepreneurs, and organizations working to improve the city through art and innovation. It is part of Conservatorio, a Panama-based real estate developer focused on historic revitalization and urban development.
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DiabloRosso is a creative think tank located in the historic old quarter of Panama City. It is also a community that supports and promotes artistic talent in its most broad and multidisciplinary definition.
Founded in 2006 to help fill the existing void for emerging art practices in the region, it has established itself as a place of empowerment and stimulation, advancing the public’s appreciation for contemporary art, mainly through the generation of social impact in the surrounding community.
Current exhibition:
Preguntas a la Isla is an exhibition by Argentine artist Irene Kopelman, whose work navigates the space between scientific observation and art. Rather than representing landscapes, Kopelman seeks “to learn how to look at them: to remain long enough for perception to change its nature.”Developed during extended stays on Barro Colorado Island, STRI, her works—indices, cuts, and variations—act as tools of attention. Traditional media become instruments for observing, collecting, comparing, and revisiting, creating an archive of successive observations rather than a fixed environment.
Born in Córdoba, Argentina, in 1974, Kopelman studied painting at the National University of Córdoba and later joined the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam.
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PULSO is a contemporary dance work that explores the relationship between the body, territory, and human connection through a sensitive and poetic physical language. Created by the Youth Company of the Enlaces Program, the piece moves between the everyday and the symbolic, between urban rhythm and stillness, revealing states of belonging, transformation, and collectivity.
Through a sequence of living images, group scenes, and intimate moments, Pulso unfolds as a scenic journey where movement becomes a space for listening and connection. Inspired by the context of Colón, the work incorporates local cultural elements and rhythms, recognizing the territory as an active part of both the creative process and the shared experience.
Artistic Direction: Analida Galindo / José Leonardo Amaya
Performers-Creators: Compañía Juvenil – Programa Enlaces
Production: Fundación Espacio Creativo
Premiere: Centro de Arte y Cultura de Colón
Photo Credits: Raphael Salazar
SPEAKERS:
Performance:
Sponsored by
Casco Viejo Exploration
5:30 - 6:30 PM
Old Town Casco Viejo
Overview:
Welcome to the Culture Club Casco Viejo shortlist! We have sourced the premier destinations for coffee, culture, and retail to ensure your time between sessions is as inspired as the agenda itself. Consider this your personal map to the best the district has to offer, and feel free to wander and follow your own lead.
The Biennial Culture Club is a community of 350+ curious and creative Coloradans coming together with purpose. Through arts and culture, Culture Club builds connections in Colorado and across the Americas. Members join together for unique experiences—artist studio visits, cultural outings, community gatherings, and behind-the-scenes access to creative spaces. Together, the club supports local arts, foster meaningful exchange, and celebrate the diverse voices that shape our region and beyond.
In partnership with
DINNER
7:30 - 9:30 PM
Calle Jose Obaldia, Edificio el Colegio, Planta Baja, Casco Antiguo, Panama City, Panama
ABout the restaurant:
An evening rooted in the spirit of Panama’s everyday culture, Fonda Lo Que Hay offers a contemporary interpretation of the country’s beloved fonda tradition—informal, neighborhood restaurants that serve as essential gathering places across the city.
Founded by José Olmedo Carles, who divides his time between Panama and Los Angeles—where he opened the acclaimed Si! Mon in 2023—the restaurant reflects a broader, cross-cultural culinary perspective. In Panama, the kitchen is led by Hiram Thompson, a rising chef with an already remarkable career, bringing his own energy and vision to the evolving menu.
Together, their approach reimagines familiar Panamanian dishes through a modern lens, drawing on the country’s layered cultural history while highlighting local ingredients and contemporary techniques. Menus shift regularly, reflecting what is available and in season, while signature dishes remain as anchors to the restaurant’s identity.
This dinner offers a glimpse into Panama’s dynamic food culture—where tradition, experimentation, and community converge.
Featured CHEFS:
Thursday, April 23
Morning Bike Ride
Antiguo terraplén, Avenida Pablo Arosemena, Panamá, Provincia de Panamá, Panama
6:30 AM
Burkes Bikes Casco Antiguo
ABout the experience:
Enjoy a leisurely 45 minute round trip Bike Ride Begin in the cobblestone streets of Casco Viejo and roll toward the modern skyline as you connect to Cinta Costera 3, a smooth, car-free stretch that wraps around the city’s edge. This flat route offers wide lanes, ocean views on one side and skyline backdrops on the other, plus a pass under the iconic Puente Marítimo.
(This is an optional activity.)
ECOSYSTEMS OF INNOVATION
9:30 - 10:45 AM
Ateneo Ciudad del Saber - Calle Maritza Alabarca, Ciudad del Saber, Clayton, Panama
Ciudad del Saber (Auditorium Atheneum)
Panel Overview:
This panel explores Panama and Colorado as hubs for innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional collaboration in the Americas. Bringing together leaders from innovation hubs, startup ecosystems, and multilateral cooperation, the conversation highlights how Ciudad del Saber’s innovation campus, local startups, and cross-border partnerships are fostering economic opportunity, knowledge exchange, and sustainable development. The discussion will examine how institutions and entrepreneurs can work together to strengthen connectivity, resilience, and impact across the hemisphere.
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Ciudad del Saber is a former U.S. Army base transformed into a 120-acre hub for research, innovation, and collaboration in Panama. Housing scientific institutions, startups, and educational programs, it fosters cross-sector partnerships that drive knowledge, community engagement, and solutions to complex challenges in science, technology, and social development.
SPEAKERS:
Sponsored by
In partnership With
CIRCULAR ECONOMY & DESIGN TOUR + Sloth Experience
11:00 - 11:45 AM
Clandestino Lab + Panama Nature Center
Clandestino: Galera 245, Ciudad del Saber, Clayton, Panama City, Panama
Nature Center: Calle Rosa Landecho, Ciudad del Saber, Clayton, Panama (detrás del Parque Los Lagos)
Event Overview:
Meet the founders of Clandestino to explore innovative approaches in sustainable product design and circular economy practices. Gain firsthand insights into how creativity, ethics, and entrepreneurship come together to shape environmentally conscious businesses.
Clandestino Lab Panama is a design and manufacturing studio transforming recycled plastic into high-performance materials and objects. Through its Material del Futuro™ (MF™), Clandestino develops furniture, architectural solutions, and large-scale installations that merge design, technology, and circular production. Operating locally with global ambition, the company builds systems, products, and experiences that prove plastic is not waste—but a resource for the future.
We will also experience a guided visit into one of the country’s leading wildlife rehabilitation programs. Visitors learn about the rescue, care, and release of orphaned and injured animals—especially sloths—through an intimate, educational walk led by specialists.
Panama is home to both two-toed and three-toed sloths, iconic to its rainforest ecosystems. These slow-moving mammals depend on forest canopies for survival and are increasingly vulnerable to habitat loss and urbanization—making conservation centers like this essential to their protection and rehabilitation.
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Ciudad del Saber is a former U.S. Army base transformed into a 120-acre hub for research, innovation, and collaboration in Panama. Housing scientific institutions, startups, and educational programs, it fosters cross-sector partnerships that drive knowledge, community engagement, and solutions to complex challenges in science, technology, and social development.
SPEAKERS:
Sponsored by
In partnership With
Small BusIness LUNCH
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Gamboa Baking Company
C. Jorge Gil 215, Ciudad del Saber, Clayton, Panamá
ABout Lunch:
Set within Ciudad del Saber, Gamboa Baking Company offers a relaxed lunch surrounded by tropical rainforest. With house-made pastries, wood-fired dishes, and a welcoming, casual atmosphere, this gathering provides a moment to recharge and connect within the rhythm of the Summit.
Owner:
HEALTH & BIODIVERSITY
1:15 - 2:15 PM
Ateneo Ciudad del Saber - Calle Maritza Alabarca, Ciudad del Saber, Clayton, Panama
Ciudad del Saber (Auditorium Atheneum)
Panel Overview:
This panel explores the intersection of public health, biodiversity, and community knowledge across the Americas, positioning Panama as a vital bridge between ecosystems and innovation. From the rainforests of the Darién Gap to cutting-edge vaccine research, speakers will examine how biodiversity underpins human health—shaping disease prevention, biomedical discovery, and long-term resilience.
Grounded in both science and lived experience, the conversation will also highlight the health realities of migration through the Darién, the role of Indigenous knowledge systems in sustaining well-being, and the ethical dimensions of building an inclusive bioeconomy. Together, panelists will explore how integrating environmental stewardship, public health systems, and community leadership can drive healthier, more resilient societies across the Americas.
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SENACYT (Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación) is Panama’s national agency for science, technology, and innovation. It drives research funding, promotes scientific development, and fosters collaboration between institutions, the private sector, and communities to advance knowledge and solutions that strengthen Panama’s social and economic progress.
SPEAKERS:
Sponsored by
In partnership With
crossroads of the americas
3:00 - 4:30 PM
Panama Canal: Miraflores Visitor Center
Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal, Panama City, Panama
Panel Overview:
A technical site visit to the Miraflores Locks, one of the most active operational nodes of the Panama Canal. This lock complex functions as a gravity-fed, two-chamber system that raises and lowers vessels approximately 16.5 meters (54 feet) between Pacific sea level and the elevation of Gatun Lake. The visit includes a guided walkthrough of the control infrastructure and lock operations, followed by access to observation terraces and a restricted-edge vantage point overlooking the chambers. From this position, participants can analyze vessel transit sequencing, hydrodynamic water transfer through culverts and valves, and the synchronized operation of gates, locomotives (“mules”), and traffic control systems that enable continuous, high-efficiency passage.
The session also offers a high-level strategic briefing on the Canal’s operational resilience and long-term planning, including key lessons from the 2023–2024 drought and its impact on transit capacity, water management, and global shipping flows. The program further reflects on major capital projects, including the Canal expansion, with insights from senior leadership involved in its evolution, offering a rare, first-hand perspective on governance, engineering, and the stewardship of this global maritime gateway.
Closed-toe shoes are required for site access.
SPEAKER:
Sponsored by
IN partnership with
KEYNOTE + DInner: MAKING NATURE’S ECONOMY VISIBLE
5:30 - 8:30 PM
Punta Culebra, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Amador Causeway, Panama City, Panama
event Overview:
The economics of nature is no longer theoretical — it is being built right now. Drawing on over a century of research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the living laboratory of Barro Colorado Island, Joshua Tewksbury presents the emerging science and financial frameworks that are already pricing biodiversity, quantifying ecosystem services, and transforming how governments and markets account for the natural world. This keynote puts Panama at the center of that story — as one of the most biodiverse nations on earth and a country whose economic engine depends entirely on the health of its forests and watersheds.
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Headquartered in Panama City, Panama, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution, founded more than a century ago to increase and share knowledge about the past, present, and future of tropical biodiversity and its importance to human welfare, train the next generation of scientific leaders, and promote conservation by raising public awareness of the beauty and significance of tropical ecosystems.
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Located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, the Punta Culebra Nature Center is dedicated to exploring the natural world through science. Visitors can see nearly 200 species of amphibians, get up close with butterflies in the LepiDome, discover the colorful fish of the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, spot sloths and other animals along forest trails, and enjoy scenic views of ships in the Panama Canal—all just minutes from Panama City.
SPEAKERS:
In Partnership With
FRIDAY, April 24
INFRASTRUCTURE & BUILDING OF A GLOBAL CITY
Complejo Business Park, Torre Norte, Boulevard Costa del Este, Panama City, Panama
9:00 - 10:00 AM
COPA Airlines
Panel Overview:
This panel brings together leaders shaping the transportation infrastructure connecting Panama City and Denver to the world.The discussion explores what it takes to build globally competitive, fully integrated hubs that link air, ground, and future rail networks.With perspectives spanning airline strategy, airport operations, and state-level infrastructure planning, the conversation focuses on Tocumen International Airport and Denver International Airport as anchors of international access and regional growth. It examines how aviation systems, surface transportation planning, and capital investment intersect to support long-term mobility and economic development.
Ultimately, the discussion considers how these infrastructure decisions shape competitiveness, resilience, and access in an increasingly connected global network.
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Copa Airlines is Panama’s national carrier and one of Latin America’s leading airlines, known for its extensive network connecting destinations across North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. Founded in 1947, the airline has played a central role in positioning Panama as a key hub for international travel, with operations centered around its highly efficient hub at Tocumen International Airport. Recognized for its reliability and connectivity, Copa continues to be a major force in facilitating movement, commerce, and exchange throughout the region.
SPEAKERS:
Sponsored by
Water & competitiveness
Complejo Business Park, Torre Norte, Boulevard Costa del Este, Panama City, Panama
11:00 AM- 12:00 PM
COPA Airlines
Panel Overview:
Colorado and Panama are both defined by water. One by the complexity of managing the Colorado River, the most litigated and allocated river in the American West.The other by the rainfall that feeds the canal that moves the world's commerce and biodiversity. Both face the same underlying threat: a changing climate rewriting the water cycle faster than institutions can adapt. This cross-regional dialogue brings together environmental authorities and conservation scientists from both regions to examine infrastructure investment, conservation strategy, indigenous water rights, and the critical question of how water stewardship becomes a driver of economic competitiveness rather than simply a cost of doing business.
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Copa Airlines is Panama’s national carrier and one of Latin America’s leading airlines, known for its extensive network connecting destinations across North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. Founded in 1947, the airline has played a central role in positioning Panama as a key hub for international travel, with operations centered around its highly efficient hub at Tocumen International Airport. Recognized for its reliability and connectivity, Copa continues to be a major force in facilitating movement, commerce, and exchange throughout the region.
SPEAKERS:
Sponsored by
TABLE AS TERRITORY: CUISINE, IDENTITY & DIPLOMACY
1:00 - 3:00 PM
Calle 50 Final, Coco del Mar, Panama City, Panama
Maito
EVENT Overview:
At Maito, one of Latin America's most celebrated restaurants, Mario Castrellon has spent over a decade doing something deceptively simple: cooking Panama. This conversation explores how a kitchen becomes a laboratory for national identity, how indigenous ingredients and Afro-Panamanian traditions become the raw material for a global culinary conversation, and what it means to build a restaurant that is both a cultural institution and an economic engine for the farmers, fishermen, and communities it sources from.
FOUNDER:
Sponsored by
HOSPITALITY & PROSPERITY
4:00 - 5:30 PM
Avenida A y Calle 8, Casco Antiguo, Panama City, Panama
La Companía, Roosevelt Room, Casco Antiguo
Panel Overview:
Panama is experiencing a convergence of tourism growth and lifestyle migration, positioning the country at a pivotal moment in how it defines itself as a place to live, visit, and invest. This session will explore how authentic storytelling, heritage preservation, and community-centered design can transform cities that are not traditional destination markets into compelling places of arrival and belonging. From the restoration of Casco Viejo and eco-tourism initiatives, speakers will examine how hospitality becomes a vehicle for national pride, local economic empowerment, and global cultural influence. Drawing parallels with Colorado—particularly Denver’s experience as a gateway city navigating rapid growth while protecting its natural and cultural assets—the conversation will highlight how both regions can intentionally shape identity, deepen visitor engagement, and build more sustainable, experience-driven economies
SPEAKERS:
Sponsored by
Americas Summit Sendoff
Calle 9 Este, Casco Antiguo, Panama City, Panama
8:00 - 10:30 PM
BRUMA Seafood and Wine
EVENT Overview:
Close the 2026 Americas Summit with an evening celebrating connection and creativity in the historic charm of Casco Viejo. The night begins with welcome drinks in one of the district’s cultural spaces, setting the tone for reflection and exchange, before continuing to a lively send-off reception at Bruma, where a Panamanian DJ set carries sounds from across the Americas—an energetic close to a week of shared experience and connection.
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Rooted in sustainable fishing practices and a deep respect for Panama’s waters, Bruma’s kitchen brings you seafood with integrity, prepared in an open setting that invites you into the experience. The name itself evokes misty ocean mornings, the rhythm of the tides, and the timeless connection between fishermen and the sea.
All of Bruma’s fish and seafood is either single-line caught, spear-fished, or harvested from sustainable sea farms, ensuring responsible sourcing and the highest quality.
Bruma’s values are: “respect for ingredients, transparency in sourcing, and a commitment to quality without pretension. We believe in good food, good drinks, and good company—served with a bit of nostalgia and a whole lot of heart.”
SPEAKERS:
Entertainment:
Sponsored by
THANK YOU TO OUR AMERICAS SUMMIT PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
PRESENTed by
supported by
Thank you to all our Circle of the Americas Members whose support drives our mission to create connections, build community, and inspire change across the Americas.
