Your Power, Your Company: Going Global

August 25, 2010 -

Is your company looking to expand beyond the U.S. and into international export opportunities? Does PV in Spain interest you? Or perhaps coal-fired power in Russia? The answers to your international expansion questions may be found in Orlando this December.

Each year, Pennwell hosts Power-Gen International, bringing in companies across all sectors of the industry. In its 20th year, Power-Gen (Dec. 14-16 in Orlando) is poised to include 1,200 exhibitors and more than 18,000 attendees. An aspect often overlooked at this massive exhibition is the opportunity to connect with international delegations that provide valuable export opportunities for U.S. companies.

At Power-Gen 2009, delegations from 28 countries were in attendance, with buyers totaling 399 members. The U.S. Commercial Service, an arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, is responsible for the application process to usher in delegations. Blanche Ziv, director of the U.S. Commercial Service’s International Buyer Program (IBP), said these meetings can eventually lead to construction of power plants overseas.

“It’s a great networking place for all of these meetings,” Ziv said. “The U.S. company doesn’t have to leave their own backyard to meet all of these international buyers.”

The annual application process for all U.S. trade shows to host delegations opens once a year. The open 60-day application period for participation in the 2012 calendar year is expected to open sometime in early September 2010.

IBP considers several criteria to determine whether or not to select a trade show to participate in the program: international interest as determined by IBP’s overseas posts in products and services, export potential of products and services exhibited at the show, logistics of the show to make sure it is occurring in a place that is conducive to international visitors, and the type of incentives the shows offer to U.S. Commercial Service overseas posts.

Once the trade shows have been chosen, delegations are selected, and a directory of delegations is created. IBP conducts a B-to-B matchmaking process in which the show receives a list of the delegations’ services and collects a list of the U.S. businesses that are interested in exporting.

In addition to export opportunities that can arise during these shows for U.S. companies, a door to provide power to countries under the burden of natural disasters is also ajar. Chief Editor for Power Engineering, David Wagman, talks about some of those opportunities in his blog entry Opportunity and Obligation.

Want more information on how to become part of a delegation, or how to connect with delegations?
Click here for a list of 2011 Accepted Shows for IBP Delegations.
Click here for information on how to get involved.