Dallas, TX – The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) expanded its relationship with the US Department of Commerce in August by signing a formal partnership for promoting US trade shows overseas.
The memorandum of agreement (MOA) includes a number of goals aimed at using exhibitions to drum up exports for US companies. They include cross-promotion of selected trade shows, training for employees from the Commerce Department’s International Trade Authority (ITA), and developing metrics to track sales made by US exhibitors to international buyers.
“This partnership will continue to develop the significant influence that exhibitions and events have on the global business market, as well as provide IAEE members with valuable information,” said IAEE President & CEO David DuBois.
The ITA already manages the International Buyer Program (IBP), which recruits international attendees to a select group of major US shows and then takes steps, such as expediting visas, to get them to the US as smoothly as possible. The latest data shows that the IBP reached 75 different nations and helped bring more than 11,500 attendees to US shows in fiscal year 2013.
The MOA signed August 2 expands beyond the IBP and will help IAEE provide more information and resources to various stakeholders in the industry. “Our partnership with IAEE will enhance our efforts to provide US companies with the best information about export opportunities and will also improve access to tools to export even more successfully,” said Marcus Jadotte, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis.
Reach David DuBois at (972) 458-8002 or ddubois@iaee.com; Marcus Jadotte at (202) 482-1461 or marcus.jadotte@trade.gov
