Wednesday, April 21
10:30am – 12:30pmMeeting of SIDO Board Members
1:00 – 2:00pmParticipant Introductions& SIDO Update including 2010 advocacy priorities (open to all participants)
Kathe Falls, SIDO President, Georgia State Trade Director
Larry Williams, SIDO Vice-President, Washington State Trade Director
2:00 - 4:15pmBest Practices Session(This session is open to SIDO members and state trade and local
trade organizations only)
Participants will discuss major developments in trade promotionin their state and should prepare short presentations detailing specific challenges and any innovative programs which have been implemented during the past year.
4:15 – 5:00pmBest Practices at the Local Level(open to all participants)
Leslie Schweitzer, Senior Trade Advisor, US Chamber
The creator of TradeRoots will discuss what’s working and what’s not in export promotion at the local level (Confirmed)
6:00 – 7:30pmReception hosted by the Embassy of the Royal Netherlands(open to all participants)
Thursday,April 22
8:00 – 8:30amBreakfast served
8:30 - 10:30amInternational Offices(This session is open to SIDO members and state trade and local
tradeorganizations only)
With the state fiscal crisis causing major cuts in trade budgets, retaining state international offices is becoming increasingly difficult. SIDO participants will engage in conversation about justifying offices, performance measures, payment in foreign currencies and other challenges.
Deborah Scherer, Director, Ohio Department of Development will facilitate the discussion and is arranging a guest speaker.
10:30-11:00amNetworking Break hosted by Export Yellow Pages(open to all participants)
Participants will take a break and network with the sponsoring host
11:00am -NoonFederal Update: Trade Promotion (open to all participants)
This session will feature a discussion on the U.S. Department of Commerce proposed partnership with the State Department to provide export assistance in international markets not covered by USDOC staff. Details on the US Commercial Services’ new performance measures will also be discussed. Invest in America will provide a current status report.
Francisco Sanchez,Undersecretary for Trade, US Department of Commerce(Invited, MannyMencia, Sr. Vice President, Enterprise Florida willcoordinate)
Aaron Brickman, Director, Invest in America(Confirmed)
12:00-1:00pmWorking Lunch hosted by GTIS(open to all participants)
Kristen Stein, Director, International Marketing, Global Trade Information Services, Inc. Maria Iseman and Glenn Barresse from Census will also be available to answer questions about the new trade statistics
1:00 – 1:30pmNetworking Break hosted by * sponsorship opportunity*(open to all participants)
Participants will take a break and network with the sponsoring host
1:30 - 2:45pmManufacturing and the Trade Agenda(open to all participants)
Frank Vargo,National Association of Manufacturers(Confirmed)
2:45 – 3:45pmThe Administration’s Trade Policy Agenda(open to all participants)
Participants will receive an update on pending Free Trade Agreements, the trucking dispute with Mexico as well as other current trade issues and an overview of trade policy priorities of the office of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Travis Sullivan, Director of Policy & Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Secretary of Commerce (Confirmed)
3:45-4:15pmNetworking Break hosted by * sponsorship opportunity*(open to all participants)
Participants will take a break and network with the sponsoring host
4:15 – 5:00pmFDI Stats & Trade Data(open to all participants)
Following the disappointing decision by Congress not to fund complete state-level FDI data collection programs in the 2010 federal budget, participants will receive an update from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and also discuss the need forbetter trade data, and breakout data on service exports.
Steven Landefeld, Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis(Confirmed)
6:00-7:30pmReception hosted by UPS(open to all participants)
Friday, April 23
8:30-9:30amWorking Breakfast: Surviving the Budget Crisis (This session is open to SIDO
members and state trade and local trade organizations only)
SIDO participants will share ideas of how they are defending their budgets in tough economic times. Participants are encouraged to bring best practice examples.
MannyMencia, Sr. Vice President, Enterprise Florida to facilitate discussion
9:30 – 10:00amNetworking Break hosted by * sponsorship opportunity*(open to all participants)
Participants will take a break and network with the sponsoring host
10:00 – 12:00pmAssisting Small Companies with Challenging Export Markets(open to all participants)
India, China and Brazil are typically more challenging markets and often for more experienced exporters. Participants will share ideas on what trade promotion services are working in these markets for smaller, less experienced companies and lessons learned that should be passed on to SMEs.
Wade Merritt, Vice President, Maine International Trade Center to facilitate discussion
12:00 – 12:45pmSIDO Member Interaction Lunch(This session is open to SIDOmembers and state
trade and local trade organizations only)
12:45-1:00pmSIDO Board elections(This session is open to SIDOmembers and state trade and local
trade organizations only)
Current SIDO members are encouraged to cast their votes for four vacant board seats.
1:00pmAdjourn
NOTES:
Participation fee to attend SIDO Spring Conference:$350 for SIDO member; $450 for non-members. No discounts for organizations unable to attend the entire event.
SIDO conference attendees are invited to attend a seminar organized by Invest in America held in Washington the morning of April 21. For additional details please contact Aaron Brickman
A block of hotel rooms is being held at the Marriott Courtyard Convention Center, 900 F Street, NW, Washington, DC, and Phone: 202-624-5460 at a rate of $249 plus tax. Name of Event: Council of State Governments (the “event”). In addition to rooms held for the evening of April 21 and 22, a limited number of rooms are also available at this rate for the evenings of April 20 and April 23.
During the conference SIDO plans to present itsExport Champion award to Senator Snowe (ME), U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, author of the “Small Business Export Enhancement and International Trade Act”(S. 2862)(Wade Merritt is coordinating)
The SIDO Spring Forum is supported by:
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