SURINAME: USA TRADE SHOW 2008 (BFIF FUNDED)

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARAMARIBO 000308

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CAR JROSHOLT
EEB/CBA FOR DENNIS WINSTEAD
COMMERCE DEPT/OFFICE OF LATIN AND AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN MICHELLE
BROOKS

E.O.12958: N/A
TAGS: BEXP ABUD AMGT BTIO ECON EINV ETRD NS
SUBJECT: SURINAME: USA TRADE SHOW 2008 (BFIF FUNDED)

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REF:
A) STATE 77128
B) STATE 73258
C) PARAMARIBO 20
D) STATE 36474
E) 07 STATE 159597


1. (U) Summary. The Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce of
Suriname held their ninth annual "USA Trade Show 2008," from July
18-20, 2008. The only professional trade show held in Suriname
featuring U.S. products and services, approximately half of the USA
Trade Show's expenses came from Business Facilitation Incentive
Funds (BFIF). Twenty-two companies participated in the show, and
many reported increased sales of their products immediately
following the USA Trade Show. End Summary.


2. (U) The Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce of Suriname
(AmCham) formed a public-private partnership to put on the ninth
annual "USA Trade Show," from July 18-20, 2008, in Paramaribo. The
three-day event attracted almost 3000 visitors in this country of
less than half a million. The USA Trade Show is the only
professional trade show held in Suriname which features U.S.
products and services. This was only the fourth year that Post
organized the Trade Show in conjunction with the AmCham. A fairly
young organization, the AmCham has been in existence only five
years. Post's objective is to gradually give increased
responsibility for organizing the Trade Show to the AmCham in order
to (in the long-term) make this show a self-sustaining project not
requiring Business Facilitation Incentive Funds (BFIF).


3. (U) Twenty-two companies participated in the Trade Show,
including ten first-time participants. In addition, Suriname's
State Partner, South Dakota, purchased a booth which it stocked with
South Dakotan products and literature. Representing the State of
South Dakota at the Trade Fair was S.D. Cabinet Secretary for
Tourism and State Development Richard Benda. South Dakota's
participation was coordinated by LTC Tracy Settle, Director of the
South Dakota National Guard's South Dakota-Suriname State
Partnership Program. The AmCham and the Embassy's Business
Education and Resource Center (BERC) also had booths at the Trade
Show to advertise their services.


4. (U) The media attended the Trade Show's opening ceremony on July
18, and all newspapers and television news stations covered the
event. Opening remarks were presented by U.S. Ambassador Schreiber
Hughes, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry
Mauro Tuur, and AmCham President Andy Rusland. Media coverage of
the opening ceremony, combined with BFIF paid advertisements on
television and in the print media, contributed to the high public
turnout for the show. The Embassy Public Affairs Assistant arranged
for the AmCham Executive Director to be featured in radio and
television interviews leading up to the Trade Show.


5. (U) Embassy and AmCham staff spoke with a random sampling of
Trade Show attendees in order to assess the success of the media
strategy and reactions of the target audience. The overall
impression of attendees, including many first-timers, was positive,
although some cited they had expected even more exhibitors.


6. (U) A "hot wash" with Trade Show exhibitors on July 25, as well
as follow-up telephone calls by the Commercial Assistant, showed
concrete, positive results from Trade Show participation. One
exhibitor, the Clean IT carpet cleaning service, received 10 orders
during the Trade Show and received a number of telephone orders
afterwards from Show attendees. Another exhibitor, Wintel N.V., an
information technology company, had as its goal the registration of
50 new members for its voicemail services. Wintel exceeded this
target by registering 75 new members. It also registered 115 new
clients for its IT Solution Services. Still another exhibitor, AVON
products marketer Beauty and Home Systems, provided free makeovers
at its booth and over 100 people signed up for consultations with an
AVON lady. The company also attracted a number of women interested
in becoming AVON sales representatives. Exhibitor "Laparkhan"
reported that more than 200 people either signed up or requested
more information on its air freight/sea freight mailbox service.
Laparkhan also secured a number of new clients for its freight and
money order business, and reported that it is still receiving
telephone calls from Trade Show attendees wanting to place orders.
Exhibitor Infinity N.V. registered 40 potential clients during the
Show for its telecommunication and security products.


7. (U) Aside from the commercial success of the USA Trade Show,
arguably the Show's most far-reaching achievement was as a catalyst
for growth within the AmCham. In past years, Embassy staffers were
obliged to carry the bulk of the organizational responsibility for
the Trade Show, including the time-consuming task of arranging the

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venue and signing up exhibitors, in part due to the young AmCham's
perceived inability to assume these responsibilities. This year,
the AmCham took on all the logistically difficult tasks as it
arranged for the venue, frames for the booths, security, and
exhibitor recruitment. Moreover, whereas in past years the U.S.
government contribution of USD $5,000 represented the bulk of the
Trade Show budget, a preliminary assessment of costs this year shows
AmCham invested greater finances in the Trade Show than the U.S.
government (if the representational costs of the opening ceremony
and reception are excluded from the calculation).


8. (U) Post will report, via Septel to EEB, the complete breakdown
of tradeshow expenditures.

SCHREIBER HUGHES