US Embassy to conduct Business Road Show [October 12 2010]

The United States Embassy in Colombo announced in a press release that the Embassy with the U.S. Commercial Service and the U.S. Small Business Administration, is organizing a road show seminar called Doing Business which will visit several locations in Sri Lanka.

The Doing Business road show is to begin immediately after the high-level bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Talks, which will be held in Colombo on Thursday (14). The Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Michael Delaney will give the first seminar of the Doing Business road show in Colombo on October 15.

Subsequent seminars will be held in Galle on October 18, Kandy on October 20, and Trincomalee on October 21. According to Ken Kero-Mentz, the Commercial Director at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, this is the first Embassy Doing Business seminar that will visit some of the key provinces outside of Colombo. It will give out valuable information to help expand rural economies and assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SME).

According to the Embassy, the seminar series will include in-depth presentations by officials from the U.S. Embassy, the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Sri Lankas Export Development Board will introduce the sessions. Each seminar will conclude with a discussion led by a Board member from the American Chamber of Commerce and leaders of the local business chambers.

Speakers at this Doing Business seminar will talk about partnering and doing business with U.S. companies and increasing competitiveness in the global economy. Speakers will also discuss Sri Lankas export sector, buying American products as a way to grow Sri Lankas economy, and the growing importance of SMEs in the global financial system. The Embassy says the U.S. technology and knowledge can help Sri Lankas companies compete effectively in the todays challenging international markets. The Doing Business seminar is expected to attract importers, businesspeople, members of trade associations, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs interested in learning more about how doing business with the United States can help their bottom line.