A Conversation on Enhancing SME International Trade
Did you know that SMEs represent 98% of San Diego businesses? An SME, or small to medium enterprise, is a business with fewer than 100 employees that currently employ 59% of our city’s workforce. Some of the top SME industries include professional, scientific, and technical services; finance, real estate, and insurance, and of course, retail. In fact, 27% of the region’s workforce are in businesses with fewer than 20 employees. SMEs are projected to be the primary driver of regional economic growth, but often lack the resources and support of their larger counterparts.
The pandemic highlighted San Diego’s global interdependence, impacting a variety of industries and resulting in tremendous job losses. Access to customers and markets is key for any firm’s long term resilience, yet the multiple challenges of digital acceleration and interrupted supply chains hit SMEs hardest. In response, regionalizing production closer to consumer markets has become an option to attract new customers and increase sales. By supporting the internationalization of SMEs, firms now have the opportunity to become more resilient and employ more people, creating more quality jobs for San Diegans.
Join us on May 25 to support national projects and initiatives that enhance international trade for SMEs, such as the U.S. Department of State’s tools and resources; learn about its Office of Commercial Business Affairs; and discuss the agency’s role in helping SMEs export. We will be hearing from Dilawar Syed, Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs at the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. He will also share a high level overview of the Ninth Summit of the Americas that will take place in June 2022 in Los Angeles, California, that brings leaders together from the countries of North, South, and Central America, and the Caribbean to promote cooperation towards region-wide, inclusive economic growth and prosperity.
About the International Business Affairs Forums
Through the International Business Affairs Forums, the Chamber provides business leaders with the essential knowledge and resources needed to thrive within the binational marketplace. Attendees also have the opportunity to build and strengthen new relationships, exchange ideas, and debate policies that are relevant to the Cali-Baja business community. Meetings are held monthly, at the San Diego Regional Chamber office or in Tijuana
Registration is open to Chamber members only. If you are not a Chamber member, please contact Joshua Peters, Membership Benefits Coordinator, at jpeters@sdchamber.org to discuss membership opportunities and attending as a guest.
Event Details
Date: April 25, 2022
Time: 10:00am – 11:30 am
Location:
Zoom
Contact Details:
Kenia Zamarripa
Phone: 619-544-1316
Email: kzamarripa@sdchamber.org
REGISTER
Sponsors
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