CONEXPO Earns International Buyer Program Status

May 24, 2007 • The CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008 and co-located International Exposition for Power Transmission (IFPE) 2008 expositions have been selected by the U.S. Department of Commerce to participate in its International Buyer Program (IBP). The IBP will help bring international attendees to the shows and facilitate at-show connections with exhibitors wanting to sell to the global marketplace.

Only a few expositions are named to the IBP each year based on their status as quality events serving industries with excellent export potential. Approximately 20 percent of show attendance at the events is expected to come from outside the United States.

 

The IBP promotes selected trade shows to a worldwide audience through its Commercial Service International Posts and selected embassies and consulates. Key activities under the IBP are Commerce Department recruitment of official trade delegations to attend the shows and a “matchmaking” service to facilitate buyer-seller interaction and onsite export counseling.

 

As part of the IBP, CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008 and IFPE 2008 will operate a comprehensive International Trade Center during the shows, with services to include interpreters, a separate registration area, message centers, phone/fax/email access, meeting rooms and a lounge area. The shows will also provide assistance with travel and housing arrangements for international delegations.

 

The shows will produce an Export Opportunities Guide (print or electronic versions available) for distribution on site and to Commerce Department international posts. The guide is designed to help attendees easily locate companies interested in doing business on a worldwide basis through export sales, agency relationships, distributor investment or joint ventures.

 

As part of the IBP agreement, CONEXPO-CON.AGG 2008 and IFPE 2008 will also offer show planning information and registration materials in several world languages via print brochures and on the shows' websites. Selected educational programming will also be offered with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish, Portuguese and Russian.

 

“The international attendance at CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE illustrates the increasingly global scope of our industries, and the shows' reputation as a quality destination to conduct business,” said Petra Kaiser, director of international marketing for the shows. “We're pleased to have the continued support of the U.S. Commerce Department.”

 

For more information on attending or exhibiting, visit www.conexpoconagg.com or www.ifpe.com.