2012 TPO Network World Conference & Awards

TRANSFORMING TPOs’ BUSINESS THROUGH INNOVATION
ENHANCING TPO IMPACT ON EXPORTING SMES THROUGH INNOVATION
MATRADE EXHIBITION AND CONVENTION CENTRE (MECC)
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 18 AND 19 OCTOBER, 2012

The on-going global economic crisis, unforeseen environmental disasters and social unrest have all added pressure on Trade Promotion Organizations (TPOs) across the world to step up support for exporters and provide new, innovative solution to boost trade. TPOs have to come up with new, innovative ideas, look for alternative business opportunities, and change their strategies so that they can better respond to these challenges.

The 2012 WTPO Network Conference & Awards will look at what TPOs can do to develop and implement innovative solutions to better serve exporters and how these can take advantage of entering new, potentially profitable markets. It will explore what TPOs can do to better respond to requests by governments to, not only help drive economic growth, but also provide a positive impact on social development.
Join more than 200 representatives of TPOs and other trade support institutions in discussing solutions to strengthen the economic performance of their respective countries through the innovation of management techniques and business development services.

Wednesday 17th October 2012: Pre Conference Activities
Thursday 18th October 2012: WTPO Day 1
Friday 19th October 2012: WTPO Day 2

WEDNESDAY 17 OCTOBER – PRE CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES

09:00	Conference registration Upon arrival, participants should confirm their registration and collect their conference information kits at MATRADE Main Secretariat Registration Counter located in their respective hotels (Sunway Putra, Seri Pacific, and Hilton KL)
15:00 –16:30	Meeting of Moderators, Presenters, Panelists Venue: Putra Room, MATRADE Ms. Aicha Pouye, Director, Division of Business and Institutional Support, ITC
16:30 – 17:30	Meeting of the Adjudicating Panel Final meeting of the Adjudicating Panel Venue: Utama Room, MATRADE Mr. Jean-Marie Paugam, Deputy Executive Director, ITC
17:30 – 18:30	Networking Reception Venue: 23rd Floor, MATRADE Dr. Wong Lai Sum, CEO, MATRADE

DAY 1: THURSDAY 18 OCTOBER

BACK TO TOP

08:00	Hotel pick up and transport to MATRADE Participants will be picked up at their hotels and taken to the conference venue at MATRADE Exhibition & Convention Centre (MECC).
09:00	Arrival of guests & media
09:30 – 10:00	OPENING CEREMONY Mr Raymond Goh, Master of Ceremonies
09:30	Arrival of Guest of honour: Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia Y.A.B Tan Sri Dato’ Hj. Muhyiddin Hj. Mohd Yassin Welcome address by: Y.A Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Ms. Patricia Francis, Executive Director, ITC Opening speech by: Y.A.B Tan Sri Dato’ Hj. Muhyiddin Hj. Mohd Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
10:30 – 13:00	PLENARY SESSION 1
	Relevance of TPOs in today’s world: Benchmarking for TPOs Presentation of ITC’s TPO benchmarking programme Venue: MATRADE Hall *Photo Gallery Plenary Session (DAY 1)* *Session Report* TPOs are key players in increasing the export competitiveness of SMEs. Studies undertaken by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank in the past three years have estimated that a 10% increase in the budget of TPOs would expand the countries’ exports by 0.6% to 1%. Given the median budget of TPOs in developing countries, this means that for each US dollar increased in the budget of TPOs, there is potential to increase exports by more than 50 US dollars. Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of TPOs and TSIs, which is also a way of increasing the productivity of their budget, has thus a large potential to increase the exports. This session will focus on ITC’s innovative organizational and benchmarking methodology.
Speakers:	Mr. José Prunello, Senior Benchmarking Adviser, TSI Strengthening Section, ITC (Presentation) Mr. Kari Häyrinen, Executive Director, FINPRO – Finland (Presentation) Mr. Robert Akinde, Executive Director ABePEC – Benin (Presentation) Ms Pilar Lozano Ramirez, Director of Cooperation - PROEXPORT – Colombia
Moderator:	Mr. Jean-Marie Paugam, Deputy Executive Director, ITC
Rapporteur:	Mr. Andrea Santoni, Benchmarking & Capacity Building Officer, TSI Strengthening Section, ITC
10:30 – 13:00	PLENARY SESSION 2
	From TPO assessment to performance improvement Venue: MATRADE Hall *Photo Gallery Session (DAY 1)* *Session Report*
	Organizational assessment and benchmarking represents the first step in the performance improvement process of a TPO. Independently or through technical assistance, TPO’s strengths needs to be actively enhanced and weaknesses addressed to allow effective change. Panelists in this session will share their experience on how they have initiated change and performance improvement in their own organizations.
Speakers:	Ms. Susila Devi, Senior Director Strategic Planning Division, MATRADE, Malaysia (Presentation) Mr. Giovanni Berti, Executive Director, PROESA - El Salvador (Presentation) Mr. Antoine de Dianous, International Cooperation Mission, Directorate General, UBIFRANCE, France (Presentation) Mr. Saruar Kenzhebulat, Director of the Corporate Dev. Dpt. - KAZNEX-INVEST - Kazakhstan (Presentation) Mr. Andrea Santoni, Benchmarking & Capacity Building Officer, TSI Strengthening Section, ITC (Presentation)
Moderator:	Mr. Jean-Marie Paugam, Deputy Executive Director, ITC
Rapporteur:	Mr. José Prunello, Senior Benchmarking Adviser, TSI Strengthening Section, ITC
13:00 – 14:00	Lunch Break Venue: MATRADE Hall

14:00–15:30	BREAKOUT SESSIONS-INNOVATION IN TPOs' MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
	This break out session will explore the transformation of TPO practices in implementing meaningful management techniques that can yield significant benefits to exporting SMEs.
Breakout Session 1	Impact assessment of TPO’s services: Ways to measure the TPOs impact on employment generation Venue: Paris Room *Session Report*
	In the current competitive economic environment, TPOs are increasingly requested by their governments and development partners to demonstrate not only positive changes in driving economic growth, but also contribute to social development. Measuring the broader impact of trade promotion initiatives, particularly on employment generation, is one of the challenges faced by TPOs. As a result, many TPOs have recently deployed efforts to record, monitor, and report the impact of their export initiatives on employment at the country level. During this session, speakers will focus on the type of innovative practices their TPOs have put in place to track the impact of their initiatives on employment; how the practices were developed, implemented and the lessons learned.
Speakers:	Ms. Ana Paula Lindgren Alves Repezza, General Business Manager, APEX, Brazil (Presentation) Mr. Kulatunga Perera, Head of Research and Policy Advocacy, Federation of Commerce and Industry, Sri Lanka (Presentation) Mr. Senen M. Perlada, Director, Bureau of Export Trade Promotion, Philippines (Presentation) Mr. Robert Bödőcs, Business Development Director, Hungary Investment and Trade Agency (HITA) (Presentation)
Moderator:	Ms. Aicha Pouye, Director, Division of Business and Institutional Support, ITC
Rapporteur:	Mr. José Prunello, Senior Benchmarking Adviser, TSI Strengthening section, ITC
Breakout Session 2	How can TPOs react to and prepare for sudden change? (e.g. earthquakes, Arab spring, economic crisis, epidemics) Venue: MATRADE Hall *Session Report*
	Recent political, economic and financial turmoil, as well as unexpected natural disasters have seriously affected global trade, particularly exports from developing countries and LDCs. As a result, many TPOs in developing countries have put in place innovative organizational structures, tools and services to position them better for the future by boosting their international competitiveness. The challenge for those TPOs is to turn the current threats into opportunities to improve the long-term competitiveness of their industries while complying with the new requirements concerning sustainable exports. The speakers will focus on addressing the preparations they have put in place to counteract sudden changes in their economic environment.
Speakers:	Mr. Abdellatif Hamam, CEO, Centre de Promotion des Exportation (CEPEX) - Tunisia (Presentation) Mr. Hiroaki Isobe, Executive Vice President, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) (Presentation) Ms. Jane Cunliffe, Director, NZ Inc Relationships, NTZE, New Zealand (Presentation) Mr. Giovanni Berti, Executive Director, PROESA - El Salvador (Presentation)
Moderator:	Dr. Wong Lai Sum, CEO, MATRADE, Malaysia
Rapporteur:	Mr. Torek Farhadi, EnACT Programme Coordinator, Office of Arab States, ITC
15:45 – 16:45	Presentations from winners of the 2010 TPO Network Awards Venue: MATRADE Hall
Speakers:	Ms. Ana Paula Lindgren Alves Repezza, General Business Manager, APEX - Brazil (Presentation) Ms. Susan Haird, UKTI, United Kingdom Mr. Dev Chamroo, CEO, Enterprise Mauritius.
Moderator:	Ms. Aicha Pouye, Director, Division of Business Support and Institutions, ITC
Rapporteur:	Ms. Ann Penistan, Senior Training Assistant, TSI Strengthening Section, ITC
16:45 – 17:15	Bidding for the 10th TPO Network World Conference Presentations by prospective hosts Venue: MATRADE Hall
17:15 – 17:30	Official Photography
17:45	Depart from MATRADE Exhibition & Convention Centre (MECC) to hotels
20:00 – 22:30	TPO Network Awards Night 2012 Grand Ballroom, Sunway Putra Hotel
Master of Ceremonies	Ms. Joanne de Rozario
20:15 – 20:25	Speeches by:
	Dr. Wong Lai Sum, CEO, MATRADE Ms. Patricia Francis, Executive Director, ITC
20:35 – 21:00	TPO Network Awards 2012 – Presentation Ceremony Announcement and presentation of the 2012 TPO Network Awards Ms.Joanne de Rozario, Master of Ceremonies Dr. Wong Lai Sum, CEO, MATRADE Ms. Patricia Francis, Executive Director, ITC
21:00 – 22:30	*Dinner and cultural evening*

DAY 2: FRIDAY 19 OCTOBER

09:00 – 10:30	BREAKOUT SESSIONS - INNOVATION IN TPO SERVICES: THE ROLE OF TPOs
	This session will give the participants an opportunity to share some of the innovative services they provide to their exporting SMEs in order to tap into new markets.
Breakout Session 1	Sharing of experience by TPOs in developing green industry Venue: MATRADE Hall Session Report
	Rising concern about the environment and climate change has prompted countries around to the world to invest in and promote green technologies. Governments and the private sectors have made investments in low-carbon transport and energy systems, energy efficiency in buildings, as well as increased funding for green research and development (R&D). A green economy model of development that addresses and balances the issues of environment and economic growth is needed. During this session, the speakers will focus on highlighting the type of innovative practices that TPOs can put in place to promote green products and services that address environmental concerns.
Speakers:	Mr. Mohamed Azrin Mohamed Ali, Vice President Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (MGTC) Ms. Archana Bhatnagar, Managing Director, Haylide Chemicals, India Mr. Zhang Wei, Vice Chairman, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), China
Moderator:	Mr. Anders Aeroe, Director, Division of Market Development, ITC
Rapporteur:	Mr. Xuejun Jiang, Chief Office for Asia and the Pacific, ITC
Breakout Session 2	New avenues of TPO’s services that help enterprises to tap into niche markets. Venue: Paris Room Session Report
	TPOs’ role in assisting exporting companies to reach highly targeted market segments is more important than ever. This session focuses on cases from the services and agro-food sectors where TPOs, TSIs and companies have worked together to reach these hard-to-target markets. Services account for more than half of the GDP in most developing countries, and up to 70% or more in high-income countries and are growing as a share of exports. As a result, sub-sectors such as information and communication technology (ICT) and tourism, play an increasing role in export growth. Positioning exporters in services markets, however, requires careful consideration and TPOs and TSIs play a critical role. In the agro-foods sector, seemingly a highly mature market, TPOs are also helping companies find ways to differentiate their products and communicate to consumers, including the building of brand and cultural identities such as geographical indications and halal standards.
Speakers:	Mr. Fahim Mashroor, President, Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Service (BASIS), Bangladesh Mr. John Kester, Programme Manager, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Mr. Othman Md Yusoff, Head of Halal Affairs, Nestle Manufacturing (Malaysia) Mr. M. Hervé Briand, Délégué territorial, Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité, France
Moderator:	Mr. Friedrich Von Kirchbach, Director, Division of Country Programmes, ITC
Rapporteur:	Mr. Rob Skidmore, Chief, Sector Competitiveness, ITC

10:45 – 12:00	PLENARY SESSION
	Achieving TPO excellence for promoting export: ITC & Partners’ innovative solutions Venue: MATRADE Hall Session Report
	In a highly competitive environment, new approaches and tools to support export promotion and trade-related technical assistance for enterprises, particularly SMEs, have become essential in the day-to-day operations of TPOs. In this session, speakers will share examples and introduce some of the most innovative concepts and best practices that they have developed in assisting exporting SMEs to achieve sustainable business results and partnerships.
Speakers:	Mr. Stephan Blanc, Chief, Trade Information Section, ITC Mr. Dick de Man, Deputy Executive Manager, Centre for the promotion of imports from developing countries (CBI), The Netherlands 1 - 2 Mr.Ali Mehrez, Maroc Export, Morocco Mr. John Kester, Programme Manager, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Moderator:	Mr. Anders Aeroe, Director, Division of Market Development, ITC
Rapporteurs:	Mr. Koffi Essuman, Senior Adviser on Export Value Chain, Enterprise Competitiveness, ITC

12:00 – 12:30

Visit to the Malaysia Export Exhibition Center (MEEC) / Business Information Centre (BIC) / Trade Museum

14:00 – 14:30

Lunch Break Presentations (Optional):

New Features of ITC’s Trade Map
Session Report
Mr. Mondher Mimouni, Chief, Market Analysis and Research Section, ITC, Venue: MATRADE Hall
ITC’s Standards Map

Mr. Joseph Wozniak, Programme Manager, Market Analysis and Research Section, ITC, Venue: Paris Room

14:30 – 15:30	Presentations by 2012 TPO Network Award Winners Venue: MATRADE Hall
	The winners of the 2012 TPO Network awards discuss their innovative export development processes and results reached
	Mr. Karl Hartleb Mr. Carlos Casas Ms. Delaine Morgan
Moderator:	Ms. Aicha Pouye, Director, Division of Business and Institutional Support, ITC
Rapporteur:	Ms. Ann Penistan, Senior Training Assistant, TSI Strengthening Section, ITC
16:00 – 17:30	CONFERENCE SUMMARY Venue: MATRADE Hall
Chairperson:	Mr. Jean-Marie Paugam, Deputy Executive Director, ITC
	Rapporteurs’ summary of the discussions and the main conclusions to wrap up the topic sessions. Announcement of the host and venue for the 10th TPO Network World Conference and Awards (2014)
17:30 – 18:00	CLOSING CEREMONY Venue: MATRADE Hall *Session Report*
	Closing remarks and setting the scene for the future conference.
	Ms. Patricia Francis, Executive Director, ITC, and Dr. Wong Lai Sum, CEO MATRADE

Transforming TPOs’ Business through Innovation

Introduction

The effects of the current global economy, the impact of unexpected changes beyond our control and the increasing pressure to contribute to a positive social impact are challenging TPOs to implement innovative solutions that increase the competitiveness of their SMEs while improving their ability to sustain their operations in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

This year, the biennial event will explore topics around the development and implementation of the TPOs’ operational and service innovations to better meet the needs of their exporting SMEs.

The topics to be explored and debated include:

•    Benchmarking for TPOs;
•    TPOs in developing green industry;
•    Impact assessment of TPO’s services: How to measure the impact on employment generation?;
•    How TPOs react to and prepare for sudden change (for example, earthquakes, the Arab Spring, and epidemics);
•    New avenues of TPO services that help enterprises to tap into niche markets: Voluntary standards, intellectual property and geographical indicators.

Download the provisional programme

The 9th TPO Network World Conference & Awards is hosted jointly by The International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE). The conference will take place at the MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 18-19 October 2012.

The 2012 TPO Network Awards will be announced at the awards presentation ceremony during the gala dinner on 18 October at the MECC.

Conference information, registration and visa application