Philadelphia, December 30 (RHC) -– The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is the first out of the gate to announce a high-level Cuba conference, the Miami Herald reported on Tuesday.

Knowledge@Wharton, the Wharton School’s on-line research and business analysis journal, and The Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania announced Tuesday that Wharton will host a major conference for senior U.S. executives to gain insight into the legal and business challenges of doing business in Cuba as well as to formulate a strategic roadmap for entry into the market.

The inaugural conference, titled the “Cuba Opportunity Summit,” will be held in New York City on April 1st and is expected to attract about 200 senior-level executives.

The conference, which is planned to be a series, will be co-chaired by Faquiry Diaz Cala, president and CEO of Tres Mares Group, a Miami-based investment firm, and Mauro F. Guillén, director of The Lauder Institute, and a professor of management at the Wharton School. They plan to hold a second conference in Havana later next year, Diaz Cala said.

The conference series is targeted at U.S.-based and multinational companies formulating their board strategies on Cuba, in the wake of President Barack Obama’s December 17th announcement that the United States will seek to forge diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Speakers for the April 1st summit, still awaiting final confirmation, will include present and former U.S. government leaders, U.S. and multinational business leaders and economists from Havana, Diaz Cala said.

Mukul Pandya, Knowledge@Wharton’s editor-in-chief, will host the conference. “President Obama’s move to normalize relations with Cuba offers an unprecedented opportunity for U.S. corporations. Many firms will be considering how to gain a first-mover advantage in this emerging market.”