Business leaders and policy experts in the world of global economics will discuss key international markets and trends during a public forum Tuesday, April 9, at the University of Central Florida.

The “Central Florida Global Economic Forum 2013: Key Markets and Trends,” organized by the UCF Global Perspectives Office, will take place in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Registration and a light breakfast will be at 8:30 a.m. The forum is open to the public, with advance registration required.

The forum will include two panel presentations and a luncheon keynote address.

The Florida Practitioner Panel will focus on Central Florida’s connections to and interactions with key markets, such as Asia and Europe. Panelists include Lawrence J. Chastang, managing partner, CliftonLarsonAllen; J. Brock McClane, principal, McClane Partners, and honorary consul, Germany; and David Woodward, executive director, Southeast/U.S. Japan (Florida delegation), Florida-Korea and Florida China associations. The panel will be moderated by Sibille Pritchard, president, Global Connections Foundation.

The Global Policy Panel will provide an overview of economic trends and the policies that support them in areas such as the Middle East and Latin America. Panelists include David Dumke, associate director, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Strategic Research and Studies, UCF; and Terry McCoy, director, Latin American Business Environment Program, University of Florida. The panel will be moderated by John C. Bersia, special assistant to the president for Global Perspectives, UCF.

The luncheon keynote will be delivered by Xiang Lu, visiting fellow, Freeman Chair in China Studies, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and chief researcher, Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing.

The forum is open to the public, with advanced registration required. Those who wish to attend should email global@ucf.edu for registration information.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, campus sponsors and partners include the Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Strategic Research and Studies, Global Peace and Security Studies Program, Diplomacy Program, Middle Eastern Studies Program, The India Center, China-Taiwan Cross-Strait Program, Kurdish Political Studies Initiative, Human Trafficking Awareness Program, International Services Center, Political Science Department, UCF LIFE and UCF Book Festival 2013 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center. Other sponsors include Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, CliftonLarsonAllen, Florida Network for Global Studies and the Global Connections Foundation.