(Washington, DC) – Today, the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD), and the DC Chamber of Commerce led an international business forum to unveil ExportDC’s 2014 calendar of trade events.

 

“The District of Columbia is an international city, and ExportDC provides a chance to expose our small and local businesses to international markets for their products and services,” said DSLBD Director Robert Summers. “Small businesses need to stay ahead of the game, and the Forum is a great opportunity for them to put themselves in a good position for the future.”

 

Tuesday’s event was the first in a series of monthly forums that will focus on small business exporting. It was organized as part of ExportDC’s international speaker series, an export program in partnership with the DC Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Virginia and DC US Export Assistance Center.

 

The Forum featured presentations by a number of other prominent federal, state and local officials with international trade expertise. They included Daniel Crocker, US Department of Commerce; Michelle A. Brooks, US Department of Commerce; April Redmon, US Department of Commerce; Jim Wilson, US Department of State; and Rob Summers, DC Department of Small and Local Business Development.

 

A series of presentations formed the core of the conference and focused on such topics as exploring opportunities in Central and South America, Africa and the Caribbean, navigating the export market, and federal (US Small Business Administration) reimbursement funding to help offset international marketing expenses.