"Bringing the World to YOU!" Recap

Posted by Cody Richard, Intern

Our 15th annual "Bringing the World to YOU!" event was held on September 20th at the Best Western Premier Eden Resorts & Suites in Lancaster.  In this event we hosted several representatives from Pennsylvania's overseas trade offices and offered regional companies the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the State's trade reps. We look forward to this event each year, despite the fact that it involves a great deal of pre-event planning and post-event follow up and at times resembles speed-dating, but in the end everyone involved has a good time and establishes great contacts for overseas trade.  Pennsylvania's trade reps are a great group of individuals who are fun and easy to work with in a business or casual setting.  This event has no shortage of smiles and laughter.

Here are this year's event numbers: 

·                  104 attendees

·                  23 overseas trade representatives

·                  30 different companies

·                  152 meetings between companies and trade representatives

Similarly to last year, this year's corporate sponsor for the event was UPS and we thank them for their continued support.  The program was partnered with MANTEC and the Fulton International Group, as well as funded in part through a STEP grant award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

In addition to the Trade Rep meetings, this year’s event featured two speakers as a part of our luncheon program.  Bhavna Tahilramani, from PA’s Arab Gulf Office, and Sheldon Kauffman, from Gannett Fleming each presented as the Keynote Speakers of the program. Their presentations were focused on the golden opportunities that the Arab Gulf region presents for PA companies to export their products and services.  Bhavna currently serves as the Business Development Manager at Channels, the authorized trade representative office for

Pennsylvania in the Arab Gulf, where she heads the PA trade representation group, while Sheldon oversees Gannett Fleming’s international business development and the establishment of international offices, including Abu Dhabi and Doha.  Both individuals shared their best tips and experiences in relation to conducting business in the Middle East that they have acquired through extensive experience in conducting business in the region.

In the end, this year’s “Bringing the World to YOU!” event was a success, as all who attended left satisfied with newly established trade leads with Pennsylvania’s Trade Representatives and valuable knowledge in conducting business in the Middle East.