International trade exhibitions: Commerce Department promotions abroad - Export USA Foreign Buyer Program: Welcome U.S. Exhibitors and International Visitors

Business America, June 15, 1992

Introduction to Germany Program on Pharmaceuticals and Healthfood. July 1992. The U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service in Germany has developed a catalog show for U.S. companies to promote their products and services in Germany. By participating in this promotion, U.S. companies are given the unique opportunity to advertise their products and services in a catalog which will be distributed to virtually every desk of the pharmaceutical and healthfood industry throughout Germany. Via this catalog, German companies are invited to request free of charge literature on the U.S. companies they are interested in, directly from the Foreign Commercial Service in Germany. Finally, all participating U.S. companies will be supplied with the addresses of all German firms which ordered their literature. Experience has shown that participation in this inexpensive program can create significant new export opportunities for U.S. companies. The participation fee is $200, and the final deadline is July 3. For more detailed information, contact Hans Amrhein, Commercial Officer, US&FCS Hamburg, Alsterufer 27, D-2000 Hamburg 36, Germany; tel. 011-49-40-411 71 224, fax 011-49-40-410 65 98.

Executive-Level Telecom Trade Mission to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia. July 13-22, 1992. Members of this mission may also have an opportunity to visit selected defense telecommunications production facilities undergoing conversion to civilian production. Rapid changes are occurring in Russia--changes which challenge the abilities of most analysts to keep up with them. Russian decision makers realize that trade with the rest of the world is crucial to the country's economic stability. Updated telecommunications will play a major role in facilitating such trade and in developing and stabilizing the economy. There are 280 million people in Russia, many of whom do not have access to the most basic telephone service. This trade mission offers an efficient, effective way for companies to investigate the market potential. Arrangements incountry will be made by the U.S. Commercial Section in the American Embassy, with the help of appropriate Russian government agencies, to assure that the right contacts are made. For information, contact Ms. Terry Rettig, U.S. Department of Commerce, fax (202) 377-5834.

Vivienda 2000--U.S. Pavilion at the 19th Bogota International Trade Fair. July 15-26, 1992. Factory-built housing and componentry, urban development, architectural and engineering services, and home fixtures and furnishings may all be displayed to advantage at the U.S. Pavilion at this vertical show attuned to the Colombian government program to stimulate construction of 400,000 new residences by 1994. The building is to be done by the private sector, with help from municipal, federal, and inter-American organizations. The Bogota International Trade Fair normally attracts more than 700,000 visitors from Colombia and neighboring countries, and provides excellent possibilities for sales of off-the-floor componentry and model homes, furnishings, and fixtures. This year the U.S. Pavilion has 3,000 square feet of prime unobstructed space and facilities for mounting model homes or components outside the main building, all within the excellent Corferias Fairgrounds. Free-zone privileges will allow U.S. companies to import equipment on a temporary basis for this exhibition, and usually an import license may be obtained so that the demonstration material can be sold. To receive additional information or a participation kit with floor plans and space costs, the contact in Colombia is Arthur Trezise, Commercial Counselor, fax (571) 285-7945; or at the Department of Commerce in Washington, Pat Cosslett, International Housing Specialist, tel. (202) 377-0132.

PERM-USA '92. Russia. Aug. 4-16, 1992. Perm-USA '92, organized by Westgate International, has been granted status as a Department of Commerce IOGA (Industry-Organized Government-Approved) mission. This will be the first IOGA trade delegation to the Urals region--Russia's "industrial belt," the center of vast oil and mineral deposits and the world's largest forest. Prescheduled, tailored meetings will be set with qualified Russian business leaders to closely match mission members' marketing goals, whether they are straight export sales, locating agents and distributors, forming joint ventures, importing raw materials, or exploring investment projects. The city of Perm, with 1.2 million inhabitants, is virtually unknown to Americans and is an untapped market. Perm is the major transportation and industrial hub of the Urals region. It is the third largest port in Russia, with access to five seas, including the Black and Baltic Seas. Perm is the first European stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway for westward-bound freight. Perm is also the largest paper and fertilizer producer in Russia and manufactures 90 percent of all Russian telephones and 70 percent of all airplane engines. This area was one of the largest armament producers in the former Soviet Union and now has excess plant capacity for de-militarized production. Russian businesses and alliances are prepared to offer barter, natural resources, part ownership and/or hard currency offers to American companies that will work with them to harvest their resources, update antiquated manufacturing and marketing methods, and help them meet current and future demands for goods and services. For more information on this mission, contact Westgate International, Marsha Brenner, tel. (404) 393-1688, fax (404) 393-2018 for agricultural and chemical industries. Contact H. Cook, tel. (706) 549-1007 for information on mining and forestry opportunities. Space is limited due to the individualized nature of the appointments.