MFM Lamey Group, LLC

Trade Missions

Trade Missions are business development missions sponsored by the U.S. government  in which U.S. company representatives are escorted by a government official to one or more foreign markets and are provided with a series of meetings with potential foreign agents, distributors and/or joint venture or other potential collaborative partners.  Meetings can also be arranged with in-country government and regulatory officials.  They feature a wide range of industry participation by the host countries, making it a very productive event.  Among the industries included in Trade Missions include healthcare, oil and gas, aerospace, construction, education and training, telecommunications and renewable energy, to name only a few.  Trade Missions represent outstanding promotion activities at a low cost for a business.  One advantage to this approach is that the company is able to gain firsthand knowledge of the business environment in the host country and clients with whom they hope to do business.  Host country clients may also consider a company that has made the outlay of time and money to participate in a mission as having a greater level of commitment.

Reverse Trade Missions and Orientation Visits represent missions in which foreign delegations representing an industry sector or governmental office come to the United States to one or several cities for meetings with U.S. company representatives, industry associations, and government agencies.  Among other things, these missions aim to enhance commercial relations, promote export opportunities, familiarize foreign delegations with U.S. equipment and regulatory information, and promote joint venture and other partnership opportunities.  For many companies they offer the opportunity to continue previous dialogues and finalize agreements on contracts or other opportunities.  Companies can also use these visits as a relatively inexpensive way to explore new markets and business opportunities.  These initial meetings can be followed up with a visit to the client in the host country to finalize deals.

The U.S. Department of Commerce Trade Mission Calendar Site: http://www.ita.doc.gov/doctm/tmcal.html

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency Calendar of Events:

http://www.ustda.gov/news/

Export.gov (U.S. Government export promotion and finance portal) Partner Agencies

http://www.export.gov/about/exp_000874.asp

Trade Conferences

Government to Government or U.S. Government to Business conferences feature information  presented on lucrative project and partnership opportunities, networking opportunities with key decision makers and one-on-one meetings with high level government and private sector officials.  Trade conferences offer a setting for U.S. company representatives to meet with buyers and potential clients as well as to learn first hand of project opportunities with foreign government representatives which offer contractual and partnership opportunities.  They also provide significant opportunities for information gathering that can be used in business development activities as well as the introduction and initial conversations with key contacts.  Trade Conferences take part globally, being focused on regional and sector specific topics such as telecommunications, information and communications technology, energy, infrastructure, regional investment and more.  They are set-up to include intimate networking opportunities throughout and provide sponsoring companies a valuable forum to promote their services and products to a targeted audience. 

Gold Key Service

With the international market for U.S. services growing at a great rate in recent years, firms must select an effective selling technique for their services offered.  The Gold Key Service is a custom-tailored service for U.S. firms planning to visit a country. It identifies and arranges appointments with the key parties that firms need to meet with in order to break into country markets.  The Commercial Service will work with you to set-up appointments with key players such as: agents & distributors, end users, trade associations, government officials, bankers, lawyers, business consultants and U.S. business representatives.  Offered by many overseas posts, Gold Key Service combines several services, such as market orientation briefings, market research, introduction to potential affiliates or clients, an interpreter for meetings and assistance in developing a sound market strategy and an effective follow-up plan.  Its cost ranges from $150-$1300 for the first day per country. 

References:

How Do I Go Global – the International Trade Administration

http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/sif/how_do_i_go_global.htm

Gold Key Service Matching Questionnaire

http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/fcs/doc/gkstandardizedquestionnaire.doc

Market Information Resources

Government agencies have housed within their offices a plethora of market information, regional, country and sector-focused studies, feasibility studies, annual reports, competitiveness reports as well as Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requested information and additional resources which provide valuable information on a variety of subjects.  This information is generally open to the public and can be accessed through arrangements with the hosting agency and sometimes via the Internet.   

Export-Import Bank Publications Center

http://www.exim.gov/pubs_center/index.cfm

U.S. Trade and Development Agency Library

https://www.ustda.gov/library/search_criteria.cfm

Overseas Private Investment Corporation Guides and Handbooks

http://www.opic.gov/pubs/handbooks/guides/index.asp

U.S. Commercial Service Country Information Resources

http://www.export.gov/about/exp_002599.asp