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For Immediate Release: June 2, 2011
Contact: Lorri Crowley (202) 482-3809
International Buyer Program to Participate in 35 Domestic Trade Events in 2012
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration will participate in 35 domestic trade events in 16 cities next year as part of the International Buyer Program (IBP) that on average generates $1 billion a year in U.S. export sales and supports millions of American jobs.
Through ITA’s U.S. Commercial Service’s network of offices in U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, the IBP recruits pre-screened foreign buyer delegations and brings them to selected trade shows in the United States, connecting U.S. companies directly with international buyers. The events represent a cross-section of manufacturing and services industries.
The International Buyer Program directly supports President Obama’s National Export Initiative which aims to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014,” said Francisco Sanchez, under secretary of Commerce for International Trade. “Ninety-five percent of the world’s consumers are outside the United States and bringing many of them to the U.S to see firsthand what we have to offer is very important to increasing export sales.”
During fiscal year 2010, the U.S. Commercial Service recruited 496 country delegations comprising nearly 13,000 international buyers to IBP trade shows—a nearly 40 percent increase in total buyers recruited from the previous year.
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 Business Center, an area where foreign buyers can meet and negotiate with sellers, obtain assistance identifying potential business partners. U.S. exhibitors frequently take advantage of interpreter services and face-to-face export counseling from foreign-based trade specialists accompanying visiting delegations.
With offices in 109 U.S .cities and more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service connects U.S. companies with international buyers. The next opportunity for U.S. trade events interested in applying to the IBP will be this fall for events scheduled in calendar year 2013. The 2012 IBP trade show schedule can be found on www.trade.gov/cs.###
International Trade Administration
The International Trade Administration (ITA) is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. ITA has 2,100 employees assisting U.S. exporters in more than 100 U.S. cities and 77 countries worldwide. For more information on ITA visit www.trade.gov.
The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. This site contains PDF documents. A PDF reader is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated.