6th ANNUAL CONFERENCE
MAIN SPONSOR
Where's the Money and Markets
in Our Challenging Global Economy
April 3, 2009
Kellogg Auditorium
Silicon Valley Bank
Santa Clara, CA
AGENDA
| 8:15-8:45am | REGISTRATION |
| 8:45-8:50am | Opening Remarks Tony Livoti President, Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA) |
| 8:50-9:00am | Doing Business in Angola, Africa's Emerging Economic Powerhouse |
| 9:00-9:15am | Best Prospects for Silicon Valley in the Middle East and Africa |
| 9:15-10:00am | Customs Compliance in the Global Economy Forgotten in the rush to fill orders, export compliance is essential. Customs delays can stop a business cold. Products are delayed, returned to shipper, or even seized every day around the world. A sound Export Management Compliance Program is crucial.View Presentation. |
| 10:00-10:20am | Trade Finance Tools for Exporting During the Economic Downturn Facing limited access to capital in their own countries, foreign companies are turning to their U.S. suppliers for longer payment terms. This presentation will provide information about credit, insurance, and financing tools you can use to respond competitively to the global market’s heightened demand for trade credit. |
| 10:20-10:35am | Break |
| 10:35-10:55am | Ex-Im Bank: The Exporter's Financing Assistance Source Paul Watts Business Development Officer, San Francisco Satellite Office, Export-Import Bank of the U.S. What is the Export-Import Bank of the United States? What does it do? Why does it do it? Who can benefit from what it does? These questions, and more, will be answered by this informative presentation. View Presentation. |
| 10:55-11:15am | Overview of SBA's Export Working Capital and Export Express Guarantee Programs Mr. Avila who is the Regional Manager and with SBA's Office of International Trade works directly with lenders and export companies in assisting small business exporters through SBA's successful export financing programs. In 2008 SBA reported 3,305 loans for $1.07 billon to small busines exporters. SBA's programs are for businesses exporting or considering international trade because a successful export is not just about orders but also about shipping the goods properly and getting paid for the shipment. |
| 11:15-11:35am | Inject Financing Into Small Business Exports to Create Jobs The formula for our economic recovery on a global basis is through the small business export engine. U.S. Small business needs financing support to be competitive in the global marketplace. The financial meltdown of our national debt provides us with a unique opportunity to seize the moment to implement policies that will fuel the small business export engine to create more and high paying manufacturing jobs. One of the ways we can turbo-charge the small business export engine is to provide export transaction financing that is based on the foreign sale and not the company's assets or personal guarantees. John Dunlop of InterneLC employs leading online solutions for small business to finance the global trade transaction with cost-effective and efficient methodologies. Mr. Dunlop will also outline his proposal for the federal government to take a more proactive stance in the financing of exports. |
| 11:35-11:55am | Get More $ Out of Your Exports You have a profitable export business. You’ve worked hard to get here and you’re working hard to stay here. But are you putting your export sales to work for you? |
| 11:55-1:30pm | Lunch |
| 1:30-1:50pm | The Gulf Coast Countries (GCC) - Best Markets in the Middle East A few years ago a team of young economists at Goldman Sacks released the BRIC’s report that reveal the business map of emerging economies. They identified: …or BRIC. While the economists were correct in their global economic observations, they missed one of the largest emerging markets in the world; the Middle East. Despite conflicting information about this region and many countries from within, the Middle East and North Africa are on a growth mission that accelerated over two decades ago. Many countries have been able to advance in technology, healthcare, and B2B activities rose to a record high. Many have benefited from extensive local resources and major foreign investments. Unique Image Inc. recognized the need for a cross-cultural bridging to enable international communication and to help businesses and consumers from the US and across the Middle East. In 2005, Unique Image began publishing ALO Magazine, the premier US publication focused on shedding the light on cultures of the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa. Through its ethnic marketing department Unique Image Inc. has been able to build relationships between US and Middle Eastern businesses and to be recognized by many Middle Eastern governments. The Middle East has extensive resources and opportunities to capture. Companies from all over the world including the US are trying to enter this market. Needs are increasing to continue building the local infrastructures and companies from IT, green technology agriculture and bio-technology will have great success if they plan and execute right. |
| 1:50-2:10pm | Masdar City Project Development Overview |
| 2:10-2:30pm | OPIC Support for California Small Businesses Investors Seeking to Tap Overseas Markets The Overseas Private Investment Corp. (OPIC), an agency of the U.S. Government that helps U.S. businesses invest overseas, fosters economic development in new and emerging markets, and complements the private sector in managing risks associated with foreign direct investment. Mr. Ballinger will describe how California small businesses, and their foreign joint venture partners, can leverage OPIC finance programs and political risk insurance to take advantage of overseas investment opportunities that can strengthen their U.S. business by tapping markets in developing countries. More information is available at www.opic.gov |
| 2:30-2:40pm | Exhibitions: A Cost Effective Market Entry Strategy Tony Livoti |
| 2:40pm | Q&A |