Boosting attendance of foreign buyers attending U.S. trade shows will help grow U.S. exports
WASHINGTON, May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The International Trade Administration's (ITA) U.S. Commercial Service recently announced the 30 trade events selected to be part of the 2013 International Buyer Program (IBP). Through ITA's U.S. Commercial Service offices in U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide, the IBP recruits thousands of qualified foreign buyers, sales representatives, and business partners to U.S. trade shows each year, giving U.S. companies excellent opportunities to expand business globally.
"Our goal is to increase the number of international attendees to IBP events, and in doing so, increase the number of export sales from U.S. companies that result from them," said Francisco Sanchez, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade. "International diversification is a real key to weathering the global economy, and giving U.S. companies the tools they need to increase exports supports economic growth and jobs for Americans."
The 30 shows scheduled in 2013 cover all types of manufacturing and services sectors such as franchising, information technologies, energy, plastics, automotive, packaging, consumer goods, textiles, medical, and many more. On average, the IBP helps to facilitate nearly a billion dollars of new business between U.S. and international companies each year. During fiscal year 2011, the U.S. Commercial Service recruited 15,612 representatives from companies all over the globe to attend U.S. trade shows, a 22 percent increase over 2010.
Many U.S. companies don't export because they believe it's too burdensome or are unaware of available export resources, and 58 percent of all U.S. exporters only sell to one foreign market. The IBP provides the convenience to U.S. exhibitors of facilitating face-to-face meetings with prospective foreign buyers at a single venue, saving businesses time, resources and expense.
At the shows, trade specialists from the U.S. Commercial Service manage an International Trade Center, an area where foreign buyers can meet and negotiate with sellers, obtain assistance identifying potential business partners, and use the facility as a launching pad for successfully "walking the show floor." U.S. exhibitors also frequently take advantage of interpreter services and face-to-face export counseling from overseas U.S. Commercial Service Trade Specialists accompanying visiting delegations from countries worldwide.
The next opportunity for U.S. trade events interested in applying to the IBP will be this fall for events scheduled in calendar year 2014. The 2013 IBP trade show schedule can be found on www.export.gov/ibp.
SOURCE International Trade Administration
