[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43939-43941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-18273]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
The Americas Business Trade Mission to Mexico
AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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Mission Description
The U.S. Commercial Service of the International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce will recruit and organize a
multiple industry trade mission to Mexico City with an optional second
stop in Monterrey, October 25-28, 2010. This mission will be led by a
senior Department of Commerce official.
In each city, participating companies will have one day of pre-
scheduled, pre-screened one-on-one appointments with potential
distributors, and/or business partners, as well as counseling from
Commercial Service trade specialists. In both locations, there will be
an in-depth commercial briefing on the local business climate. In
Mexico City, there will also be a networking reception for the
delegation with local private and public sector officials.
The mission to Mexico is intended to include representatives from
best-prospect sectors which include among others airport and aviation,
automotive, building and construction, education and training, energy,
environmental technologies, financial and insurance services,
franchising, information technologies and telecommunications, safety
and security, transportation and ports, and travel and tourism and to
introduce participants to distributors and prospective partners.
The Americas Business Trade Mission will build on the momentum
gained from the 2009 and 2010 The Americas Business Forum held in Los
Angeles, CA. The U.S. Commercial Service
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worked closely with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the
UCLA Anderson School of Business to recruit small-to-medium sized
companies from across the country to attend the conference. During the
conferences the Senior Commercial Officer from Mexico met with more
than 50 companies interested in doing business in Mexico. This trade
mission will build upon the interest shown during these meetings but
participation in this mission is not limited to past participants of
The Americas Business Forum.
Commercial Setting
Mexico is the second largest market in the world for U.S.
exports. Given the magnitude of trade between the United States and
Mexico, there are abundant opportunities for U.S. firms in Mexico. The
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), enacted in 1994, created a
free trade zone for Mexico, Canada and the United States, and has
resulted in approximately $367 billion of annual trade between the two
countries, more than $1 billion of trade per day.
Although Mexico's GDP contracted due to the global
economic downturn, strong U.S.-Mexico trade continues. GDP is expected
to grow by 4.2 percent in 2010. In addition, due to recent economic
reforms Mexico's macro-economic picture is a healthier one than in
early years of this decade.
Mexico's size and diversity are often under appreciated by
U.S. exporters. It can often be difficult to find a single distributor
or agent to cover this vast market.
The National Infrastructure Plan announced by President
Calderon in July 2007 includes over 300 projects in the power, oil and
gas, airport, ports, environmental, road transport and other sectors.
Projects are open for U.S. company participation, and provide solid
opportunities for the supply of goods, services, and technology.
Mission Goals
This trade mission is designed to help U.S. firms initiate or
expand their exports to Mexico by providing business-to-business
introductions and market access information. This mission by connecting
U.S. companies with potential Mexican trading partners also supports
the President's initiative to double exports during the next five years
to support 2 million American jobs.
Mission Scenario
U.S. firms will take part in formal matchmaking sessions with
Mexico City- and Monterrey-based companies. The participating U.S.
firms will also be given opportunities to interact with local company
representatives at networking events. For the one-on-one sessions, all
U.S. companies, together with a Commercial Specialist and/or trade aide
will visit their Mexican counterparts at their facilities. The precise
schedule will depend on the availability of local business
representatives and the specific goals and objectives of the mission
participants.
U.S. participants will be counseled before and after the mission by
the mission coordinators. Participation in the mission will include the
following:
Pre-travel briefings/webinar on subjects ranging from
business practices in Mexico to security;
Pre-scheduled meetings with potential partners,
distributors, end users, or local industry contacts in Mexico City and
Monterrey (optional stop);
Transportation to airports in Mexico City and Monterrey;
Participation in networking reception in Mexico City, and
Meetings with respective industry commercial specialists
in CS Mexico City and Monterrey.
Proposed Timetable
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October 25.................... Mexico City:
``Doing Business in Mexico''
Commercial Briefing by U.S.
Commercial Service Mexico.
City and Economic section of the U.S.
Embassy.
Review of mission schedule.
Networking reception.
October 26.................... Mexico City:
One-on-one business matchmaking
appointments.
October 27.................... Mexico City/Monterrey (optional):
Morning:
2-3 sessions on topics related to
doing business in Mexico City.
Debrief of Mexico City portion of
trade mission.
For those participating in
Monterrey portion of trade
mission, afternoon flight to
Monterrey.
Welcome to Monterrey dinner.
October 28.................... Monterrey:
Breakfast briefing on doing business
in Monterrey.
One-on-one business matchmaking
appointments.
Debrief of trade mission.
End of mission.
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Participation Requirements
All parties interested in participating in The Americas Business
Trade Mission to Mexico must complete and submit an application for
consideration by the U.S. Department of Commerce. All applicants will
be evaluated on their ability to meet certain conditions and best
satisfy the selection criteria as outlined below. This mission is
designed for a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 15 companies that will be
selected to participate in the mission from the applicant pool. U.S.
companies already doing business in Mexico City as well as U.S.
companies seeking to enter the market for the first time are encouraged
to apply. For the optional stop in Monterrey, post can accommodate a
maximum of 8 companies due to staffing constraints.
Fee and Expenses
After a company has been selected to participate on the mission, a
payment to the U.S. Department of Commerce in the form of a
participation fee is required. The participation fee will be $3,700 for
large firms that participate in both cities ($2,000 if only
participating in Mexico City) and $2,350 for a small or medium-
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sized enterprise (SME) \1\ or small organization that participates in
both cities ($1,300 if only participating in Mexico City), which will
cover up to two representatives. The fee for each additional firm
representative (large firm or SME) is $500. Expenses for travel,
lodging, most meals, and incidentals will be the responsibility of each
mission participant.
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\1\ An SME is defined as a firm with 500 or fewer employees or
that otherwise qualifies as a small business under SBA regulations
(see http://www.sba.gov/services/contracting opportunities/
sizestandardstopics/index.html). Parent companies, affiliates, and
subsidiaries will be considered when determining business size. The
dual pricing reflects the Commercial Service's user fee schedule
that became effective May 1, 2008 (see http://www.export.gov/newsletter/march2008/initiatives.html for additional information).
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Conditions for Participation
An applicant must submit a completed and signed mission
application and supplemental application materials, including adequate
information on the company's products and/or services, primary market
objectives, and goals for participation. If the U.S. Department of
Commerce receives an incomplete application, the Department may reject
the application, request additional information, or take the lack of
information into account when evaluating the applications.
Each applicant must also certify that the products and
services it seeks to export through the mission are either produced in
the United States, or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm
and have at least fifty-one percent U.S. content.
Selection Criteria for Participation
Selection will be based on the following criteria:
Suitability of a company's products or services to the
mission's goals;
Applicant's potential for business in Mexico, including
likelihood of exports resulting from the trade mission, and
Consistency of the applicant's goals and objectives with
the stated scope of the trade mission. Referrals from political
organizations and any documents containing references to partisan
political activities (including political contributions) will be
removed from an applicant's submission and not considered during the
selection process.
Timeframe for Recruitment and Applications
Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner,
including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the Commerce
Department trade mission calendar (http://www.ita.doc.gov/doctm/tmcal.html), Pacific South Network U.S. Export Assistance Center Web
sites, e-mail notification to registrants of TABF, clients and
prospects of the Pacific South Network and local trade and corporate
partners and publicity at local trade events and trade shows.
Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude no
later than September 3, 2010. The U.S. Commercial Service will review
all applications immediately after the deadline. We will inform
applicants of selection decisions as soon as possible after September
3, 2010. Applications received after that date will be considered only
if space and scheduling constraints permit.
Contacts
U.S. Commercial Service, Pacific South Network
Julie Anne Hennessy, Los Angeles (West) U.S. Export Assistance
Center, 11150 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 975, Los Angeles, CA 90064. T:
(310) 235-7203. F: (310) 235-7220. E: [email protected].
U.S. Commercial Service, Mexico City
Jeff Hamilton, U.S. Commercial Service, Liverpool No. 31, Col.
Juarez, 06600 Mexico, DF. Tel: (52) (55) 5140-2612. Fax: (52) (55)
5566-1111. E: [email protected].
Ryan Kane,
Global Trade Programs, Commercial Service Trade Missions Program.
[FR Doc. 2010-18273 Filed 7-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-FP-P