WORLD TRADE MONTH EVENTS

Each year, the President proclaims the third week of May as World Trade Week. In promotion of world trade, many organizations are sponsoring export-related activities during the month of May. Listed below are several Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast trade events.

May 1 -"Doing Business in South Africa" Champagne Jazz Breakfast Briefing featuring H.E. Barbara Masekela, Ambassador of South Africa to the U.S. Held at the World Trade Center in New Orleans. 

May 2-4 -The "Gulf Coast World Trade Conference" will highlight the Gulf Coast States’ role in enhancing their global competitiveness. Held at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Biloxi. Register at: www.mississippi.org.org/doing_busn/intl/wtd.htm, or call (601) 359-3155.

May 5 -"Latin American Market Outlook: Brazil, Chile, and Central America" luncheon seminar featuring three U.S. Commercial Officers from each of those areas. Held at the World Trade Center in New Orleans. 

May 7 -A luncheon briefing on "The U.S. - Australia Free Trade Agreement" by Nasir Abbasi, Commercial Consul at the U.S. Consulate General in Melbourne. Held at the World Trade Center in New Orleans. 

May 10-12 -"13th Annual International Air Cargo Conference & Expo." Held at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Biloxi. Log on to www.iacc-expo.com to register.

May 12 -"Doing Business in Ecuador" luncheon briefing featuring Hon. Jaime Nebot, Mayor of Guayaquil, and Dr. Joyce de Ginatta, President of the Federation of Interamerican Business Entrepreneurs. Held at the World Trade Center in New Orleans. 

May 16-22 -"Transportation, the Lifeline of New Orleans" (various events/locations). Contact C. Mulhern at (504) 779-5671 or colleen@wtcgno.org.

May 17 -Seminar on "NAFTA-Ten Years Later" will be held at LSU-Shreveport from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Contact Patricia Holt at (318) 676-3064 or Robert Mills at (318) 469-1191.

Sponsoring organizations: Louisiana Economic Development, Mississippi Development Authority, Mobile Chamber of Commerce, New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center, Port of New Orleans, U.S. Commercial Service, University of West Florida-Small Business Development Center, Port of New Orleans, World Trade Center of New Orleans, World Trade Club of Greater New Orleans.

SOUTH AFRICAN AMBASSADOR TO SPEAK AT MAY 1 BREAKFAST

The City of New Orleans, the World Trade Center, and other organizations will sponsor a Champagne Jazz Breakfast at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 1 in the WTC’s Plimsoll Club on "Doing Business in South Africa" featuring H.E. Barbara Masekela, Ambassador of South Africa to the United States. Ms. Masekela has served as Ambassador to the U.S. since June 2003 and previously served as South Africa’s Ambassador to France and UNESCO from 1995 to 1999. To register for the breakfast, call the WTC at (504) 529-1601, ext. 222, or click here.

MAY 5 BRIEFING ON BRAZIL, CHILE AND CENTRAL AMERICA

On Wednesday, May 5, the New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center, World Trade Center, and other organizations will sponsor an expanded luncheon briefing from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the WTC’s Plimsoll Club on "Latin American Market Outlook: Brazil, Chile and Central America" featuring: Janice A. Corbett, Deputy Senior Commercial Officer with the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia; Rick de Lambert, Commercial Officer with the U.S. Embassy in Santiago; and Mitch Larsen, Senior Commercial Officer based at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City.

The forum will include an overview of these respective areas’ economic and business environments, a discussion of relevant free trade agreements, and the Commercial Officers’ recommendations on the best prospects for U.S. exports to those markets. The three speakers will also be available for individual consultations following the luncheon. To register for the luncheon briefing, call the WTC at (504) 529-1601, ext. 222, or click here.

U.S. - AUSTRALIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT TALK ON MAY 7

On Friday, May 7 the World Trade Center, the New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center and other organizations will sponsor a luncheon briefing at the WTC’s Plimsoll Club at 12:00 noon on "New Business Prospects Under the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement" featuring Nasir Abbasi, Commercial Consul at the U.S. Consulate General in Melbourne.

Trade between Australia and the United States has reached over $28 billion. With a Free Trade Agreement, this trade will expand. U.S. manufacturers estimate that the elimination of tariffs alone could result in $2 billion per year in increased exports of manufactured goods. Most U.S. manufactured goods and all agricultural goods will be able to enter Australia duty-free. This is the most significant immediate reduction of industrial tariffs ever achieved in a U.S. free trade agreement. The services market has also been largely opened. The FTA will remove significant regulatory barriers, increasing market access in government procurement markets, strengthening intellectual property protection, and reducing screening barriers to U.S. investment.

To register for the May 7 luncheon, call the WTC at (504) 529-1601, ext. 222, or click here.

WTC SUMMER LANGUAGE CLASSES TO BEGIN MAY 11

The World Trade Center will offer its summer session of foreign language classes starting May 11 at the WTC Building in New Orleans. The classes are conducted by the faculty of Alpha Tech Communications. The emphasis is on business usage and conversation. The summer session will last 10 weeks: classes will meet once a week for two hours. The following languages will be offered: French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, and English as a Second Language. Tuition is $120 for WTC members and their spouses and $240 for non-members. (Registration and materials cost $45.) Free parking is available in the WTC Garage. To register, call Alpha Tech at (504) 454-6554.  More info.

MAY 12 ECUADOR BRIEFING FEATURES GUAYAQUIL MAYOR

On Wednesday, May 12 the Consulate General of Ecuador, Greater New Orleans Inc., the World Trade Center and other organizations will sponsor a luncheon briefing at the WTC’s Plimsoll Club at 12:00 noon on "Doing Business in Ecuador," with an emphasis on the industrial port city of Guayaquil and featuring Hon. Jaime Nebot, Mayor of Guayaquil, and Dr. Joyce de Ginatta, President of the Federation of Interamerican Business Entrepreneurs.

Mayor Nebot and Dr. de Ginatta and their delegation are visiting New Orleans to gain knowledge and insight from a world-class port, tourist, convention, and river city that shares similarities with Guayaquil. Guayaquil won the 2003 U.N. award as one of the most transformed cities in the world out of 278 candidates. The city is strategically situated on the equator at the edge of the Gulf of Guayaquil where there are huge untapped reserves of oil and gas. Under the leadership of Mayor Nebot, it is poised to become a major business and tourist center in Latin America. New Orleans is potentially viewed as a key U.S. city with the experience and resources to assist in Guayaquil’s development. To register for the luncheon, call the WTC at (504) 529-1601, ext. 222, or click here.

EU TRADE SANCTIONS IMPOSED ON U.S. EXPORTS

On March 1, the European Union (EU) began to impose retaliatory trade sanctions on a number of U.S. products as a result of the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that the Foreign Sales Corporation/Extra-Territorial Income provision of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code constitutes a prohibited export subsidy in violation of WTO rules. In May 2003, the WTO authorized the EU to impose sanctions on over $4 billion worth of U.S. exports if the U.S. failed to comply with the WTO decision. The U.S. Administration and Congress continue to work towards repealing the FSC/ETI provisions in order to achieve U.S. compliance with the WTO ruling. For additional information, call the U.S. Export Assistance Center in New Orleans at (504) 589-6546 or Shreveport at (318) 676-3064.

MARKETING TO MEXICAN MANUFACTURERS PROGRAM

Inputs of components, supplies, and machinery (worth $88 billion) make up over half of all products imported into Mexico. The items are used by Mexican plants to produce goods for export, with production expected to reach a value of $125 billion by 2008. To promote U.S. exports to the Mexican manufacturing sector, the U.S. Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration developed the "Marketing to Manufacturers in Mexico" program. U.S. firms enrolled in the program receive monthly reports via e-mail, invitations to participate in videoconferences with Mexican buyers, qualified trade leads, assistance in finding agents, representatives or distributors, and support during trade shows in Mexico. Visit www.buyusa.gov/mexico/en/manufacturers_in_mexico.html to sign up for the program.

UNO TRANSPORTATION STUDIES

The University of New Orleans College of Urban and Public Affairs’ proposed undergraduate program in Transportation Studies is getting off the ground with four new courses. Eventually this program will allow undergraduate students to secure a degree focusing on areas of transportation that are critical to Louisiana and to the field of transportation generally, with local, national and international application. Relevant and transferable course work is available immediately. The first course, Introduction to Transportation Planning, is currently being offered (Spring 2004). The following three courses will be offered in the Summer of 2004: Marine Transportation; Intermodal Transportation; and Intro to Waterborne Freight Transportation. For details, contact Scott Farrell at sfarrell@uno.edu or (504) 280-6277, or visit the website at www.uno.edu/cupa

THREE LOUISIANA FIRMS RECEIVE EXPORT AWARDS

On April 1, three Louisiana firms received U.S. Department of Commerce Export Achievement Certificates during a Louisiana District Export Council meeting held at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. Accepting the awards on behalf of their companies were: Ronnie Voisin for Acadiana Oilfield Instruments (Lafayette); Richard Byrd for Odom Hyrographic Systems (Baton Rouge); and Mark Ashworth and Kelly Ashworth for Oxford Alloys (Baton Rouge). Geralyn Contini, District Export Council Chairwoman, and Paul Wegener, the DEC Vice Chairman, made the presentations.

GOOD TIPS FOR AVOIDING UNAUTHORIZED EXPORTS

The following suggestions are from the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) website at http://www.bis.doc.gov/ComplianceAndEnforcement/UnauthorizedParties.htm. Visit the site for details on ways to avoid doing business with unauthorized parties.

• Read and understand the "Know Your Customer Guidance" provided in the Export Administration Regulations and as part of the BIS web site. It describes ways to recognize and avoid prohibited transactions.

• Become familiar with the "Red Flag Indicators" to help recognize illegal, or potentially illegal, transactions.

• Check the parties to the transaction (including freight forwarders, intermediate consignees, and the ultimate consignee) against the most recent "Denied Persons List." Although a U.S. firm is only required to make this check for export or re-export transactions, it may also be useful to do so for domestic transactions.

• If asked to participate in an export transaction that appears to be illegal, contact the BIS Office of Export Enforcement immediately. Persons may also confidentially report these situations via the Leads and Tips form on the BIS website.

• Check the parties to the transaction against the BIS "Unverified List" and the "List of Specially Designated Nationals" maintained by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

• Review the BIS web page on "Recognizing and Reporting Possible Violations."

MEDICAL SECTOR OPPORTUNITIES IN TORONTO

Trade shows in Toronto, Canada offer excellent venues for U.S. small-to-medium-size businesses seeking new export markets. The healthcare industry is valued at $28 billion dollars and is an important sector of Toronto’s economy. The Canadian dollar has appreciated significantly in relation to U.S. currency, making U.S. goods and services competitive in the Canadian market. Call the U.S. Export Assistance Center in New Orleans at (504) 589-6546 for a list of the many healthcare/medical equipment trade events taking place in Toronto this year.

MAY 2-4 GULF COAST STATES WORLD TRADE CONFERENCE

For the last several years, a Gulf Coast trade alliance (Louisiana Economic Development, Mississippi Development Authority, Mobile Chamber of Commerce, and University of West Florida/Small Business Development Center) has presented an annual program on international trade. The theme for the 2004 World Trade Day Conference is "Navigating the Americas Through Regional Partnerships." The event will be held on May 2-4 at the Beau Rivage Resort Hotel in Biloxi, Mississippi. This year’s conference will highlight the role and cooperation of the Gulf Coast states in enhancing their global competitiveness, particularly regarding trade with Central and South America. To register, visit www.mississippi.org/doing_busn/intl/wtd.htm, or call (601) 359-3155.

MAY 10-12 INTERNATIONAL AIR CARGO CONFERENCE IN BILOXI

The 13th Annual International Air Cargo Conference and Expo (Air, Land, and Sea Shipping Products and Services) will be held May 10-12 at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Biloxi, Mississippi. The conference sessions include presentations and panel discussions on "The State of the Air Cargo Industry," "Latin America and Air Cargo," and "Maritime and Land Security." To register, call Terry Heekin at (321) 783-2115 or visit www.iacc-expo.com.

MAY 7 SYMPOSIUM ON INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

The Louisiana Board of Regents is sponsoring a one-day symposium on "International Education as Economic Development" on Friday, May 7 at the University of New Orleans’ Lindy Boggs International Conference Center. The day’s agenda features panelists with expertise in the relationship between international education and economic development and representing the states of Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia and Texas, plenary sessions, a luncheon and discussion sessions. The keynote morning speaker is Dr. E. Joseph Savoie, Louisiana’s Commissioner of Higher Education, and the luncheon speaker is Eugene J. Schreiber, Managing Director of the World Trade Center of New Orleans. For additional information, call Alea Morelock Cot at UNO at (504) 280-7484 or visit www.inst.uno.edu.

SHREVEPORT HOLDING NAFTA TRADE EVENT ON MAY 17

The U.S. Export Assistance Center in Shreveport is sponsoring an event during World Trade Week on "NAFTA-Ten Years Later" that will be held at Louisiana State University-Shreveport from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, May 17. The featured speakers are: Thomas Lee Boam, Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy in Ottawa; John Breidenstine, Commercial Counselor, U. S. Embassy in Mexico City; and Miguel Hernandez, NAFTA specialist with the Office of Market Access and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce. The registration fee for the full-day program, including continental breakfast and lunch, is $50 per person. For more information, contact Patricia Holt at (318) 676-3064 or Robert Mills at (318) 469-1191.

MAY 25 SEMINAR ON PROJECT FINANCING IN LAFAYETTE

Lafayette’s International Center, Bank One and J. Maxime Roy are sponsoring "Methods of Financing International Projects" on Tuesday, May 25 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Bank One Conference Room at 600 Jefferson Street in Lafayette. The featured speakers are Alan Beard, Managing Director of Interlink Capital Strategies, and Kelly Kemp, the Houston-based Export-Import Bank representative for Louisiana. Topics to be covered include a description of the multiple agencies that support international finance; successful use of the programs; requirements and procedures; company case studies; and emerging market opportunities. To register, call the International Center at (337) 291-5474.

BUYUSA.COM WEBSITE

BuyUSA.com, a U.S. Commercial Service international business matchmaking program, provides U.S. companies with instant online access to qualified foreign distributors, buyers, and export trade leads. The annual subscription to BuyUSA.com is now only $50. Log on to www.buyusa.com or call the New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center at (504) 589-6546 to learn more.

OLYMPICS BUSINESS UPDATES

The Beijing 2008 Olympics Hot Sheet is a good way to stay on top of what is going on in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. U.S.-based companies may sign up for the free hot sheets by e-mailing to Beijing.office.box@mial.doc.gov. Also, log on to www.buyusa.gov/china.en for more information on the 2008 Olympics and other ways the U.S. Commercial Service can assist you in doing business in China.