© International Trade Centre, International Trade Forum
- Issue 2/2004
Trade promotion organizations will debate their role in
maximizing their country's or region's competitive advantage
through innovation, at their biannual meeting (Malta, 1-2 October
2004).
ITC and Malta Enterprise will jointly host the 5th World
Conference of Trade Promotion Organizations (TPOs) in Valletta,
Malta.
Organized by TPOs for TPOs, the Conference is a forum for
networking, exchanging experiences and developing new ideas in the
field of trade promotion. In a challenging global trade
environment, the theme of the Conference this year is "The Future
of TPOs - Innovation for Competitive Advantage".
All national and regional organizations responsible for promoting
trade and helping firms export successfully are invited. Topics on
the agenda are:
- Combining trade and investment promotion - challenges,
opportunities and pitfalls
- Client-centered trade promotion organizations - fact or
fiction?
- Can TPO performance really be measured? - innovative ways of
measuring impact and performance
- Moving from workforce management to workforce optimization -
people: a forgotten resource of TPOs?
- Innovation for competitive advantage - thinking outside the
box
- Coping with budget cutbacks - innovative revenue generation
strategies for TPOs
- Managing TPOs as a business - new ways of maximizing
shareholder value
- The future of trade promotion organizations - innovate or
bust.
Speakers and panellists in the sessions are chief executive
officers and other senior staff of TPOs from Africa, Asia,
Australasia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North
America.
TPO heads meet
The World Conference of TPOs is held every two years. Previous
meetings were held in:
- Cartagena, Colombia (1996)
- Santiago, Chile (1998)
- Marrakech, Morocco (2000)
- Beijing, China (2002)
TPO awards
The first World TPO Awards will be presented at the 5th World
Conference of TPOs in Malta. The aim of these awards is to
encourage excellence and to recognize "best practices" in these
important institutions for national economic development. The
awards will be offered in five categories to give all TPOs - large
and small, from developed, developing and transition economies - an
opportunity to participate and a fair chance to compete. There will
also be a sixth award for the "Best of the Best" TPO, chosen from
amongst the winners of the other five categories.
For details on how to participate, contact Philip Williams, ITC
Senior Adviser on Trade Support Institutions at williams@intracen.org