January 19th 2012 will mark the date of the ninth consecutive Cayman Business Outlook (CBO). This highly anticipated annual conference seeks to educate, inform and provoke the local community, including politicians and other business leaders, with insights on issues that affect both the world and Cayman. Themed, “Future World: How Politics, Economics and Technology Will Shape Our Lives”, CBO will focus on the significant changes that have occurred in recent years and how these will shape the future of the world we live in.

CBO will look at various world trends, from the use of Facebook and Twitter to energize the “Arab Spring” and the resulting upheaval in many Arab nations, to the increasing political and economic disarray in the US as unemployment levels remain stubbornly high and with nearly 100 million Americans living at or near poverty levels. What does that mean for America as a Superpower? How will the Euro crisis change the economic landscape? How will politics be affected by the deployment of powerful and ubiquitous software to harness disaffected voters? These and other questions will be addressed by our expert international speakers.

This year’s CBO features two Geopolitical speakers and authors: Dr. George Friedman and Giddeon Rachman. These gentlemen will present contrasting views on how the United States, China and Europe will impact global stability in the years to come. Social Media analyst Anthony Williams is also a featured speaker who will give valuable insight on how Social Media has changed the landscape of the twenty first century. Bringing an economic perspective, Alex Tabarrok, author of the blog, “Marginal Revolution”, will discuss how the economy reacts to these world changes. For the first time in CBO’s history, each speaker will host a Q&A segment after their presentations, giving audience members the opportunity to interact during the forum.

“Our world is evolving at a dizzying pace, leaving us with many questions about the future,” notes Chairman of Fidelity Group, Anwer Sunderji. “In this New Normal economic environment of slow economic growth, high volatility and enormous macro risks -- some identifiable, but many unidentifiable, it is clear that the future is going to be very different from the past. There is a greater level of global financial, political and economic uncertainty than ever before. Cayman Business Outlook seeks to draw insights from international experts to assist us connect the dots so we can reach conclusions and adapt to the new reality.”