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Panelists from government, major business sectors to participate in day-long event

SANTA CRUZ - 01/30/06 - The "Global California: Doorstep to the World" conference will be held Thursday, February 16 at the headquarters of the California Chamber of Commerce in downtown Sacramento.

Organized by the Monterey Bay International Trade Association, The CalTrade Report, and the Tradeport Consortium, the day-long "Global California" conference - which will also include a table-top exhibit expo - will address the current state and future development of international trade in California and present "effective and far-reaching tools to help California's international business community become more effective in the global marketplace," said Tony Livoti, executive director of the Santa Cruz-headquartered Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA).

"This event will go a long way in assisting small and medium-sized companies across the state realize their global potential and produce the kinds of global-reaching strategic and business alliances that the state's economy will be relying on more and more in the future," said Livoti. "'Global California: Doorstep to the World' will present an excellent forum to achieve that goal."  

Topics covered at the conference will include the state of California's international business profile; a critical look at California's transportation infrastructure; the challenges of conducting international business in a post-9/11 environment; and the China-California trade connection.

In addition, small and medium-sized businesses assessing their global potential will have the opportunity to learn about alternate sources of trade finance; branding a product or service for overseas markets; utilizing the Internet to enhance a corporate identity and maximize international sales; and the fundamentals of success in the global marketplace.

Distinguished panelists at the "Global California: Doorstep to the World" conference will include California State Senator Tom Torlakson; Mary Delmege, Southwest director, US Commercial Service; Margaret Wong, president and CEO, McWong International; William Lewicki, director of marketing, Port of Stockton; Rod Balance, director of the Global Trade Center of the Inland Empire; Sean Randolph, president and CEO, Bay Area Economic Forum; Howard Shatz, senior fellow, Public Policy Institute of California; Michael Bawden, president, BrandCentralStation Inc.; Jose Duenas, president, Bay Area World Trade Center; George Cummings, director of homeland security, Port of Los Angeles; and international business consultant and columnist Jock O'Connell.

Welcoming remarks for the conference will be presented by California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson.

"For California to be competitive in the global marketplace, we must earnestly begin building a state that is prepared to compete on a global stage," said McPherson. "I look forward to working together with our international partners to sell California as a destination for international business."

Conference sponsors include The Bank of Alameda; the Osaka Prefectural Government Office; the Netherlands Business Support Office; the Consulate General of Luxembourg - San Francisco; AFEX; the Port of Oakland; the Consulate General of Poland - Los Angeles; Commercial News USA; PIERS - Global Intelligence Solutions; NucBioAlerts; Intercise Development; the Corp. for International Business; the Taiwan Trade Center - San Francisco; the Port of Oakland; Think London; Travelex Global Foreign Exchange; World Trade Press Inc.; the Representative Office of Shenzhen, PRC; Medialocate Inc.; the US - Vietnam Chamber of Commerce; and the Hungarian Consulate General and Trade Commission. 
                   
"Global California: Doorstep to the World" is the third "Global California" conference held since the first was organized in the fall of 2003 in response to the challenges facing California's global trade community in a post-recall environment of severe budget cuts and the state government's de-funding of the California Technology, Trade & Commerce Agency.

The first two conferences were held in San Jose and Oakland.

The Tradeport consortium is a statewide international business alliance comprised of the Bay Area Economic Forum, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Monterey Bay International Trade Association.
 
Individuals or parties interested in attending or exhibiting at the "One Global California" conference can register at www.tradeport.org or by calling the Monterey Bay International Trade Association at 831-335-4780.

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