Over the next year, the Madrid Chamber of Commerce will organize, among other events, 40 information sessions to present the opportunities offered by other countries in the field of foreign trade. This and other issues, such as how to approach the internationalization process, are the topics covered in the interview with Fernando Fernández-Tapias.
– Our magazine specializes in foreign trade. For our readers who are business owners looking to start their international ventures, what advice would you give them, what steps should they follow?
First, you need to have adequate information about your target market. The primary sources for this information are Chambers of Commerce, as institutions closest to the business world; the Foreign Trade Institute, which will provide general information about the sector of interest; and finally, Trade Offices, located in most countries. Here you can obtain data on market access, product positioning, statistics, practical information, and so on. You can also consult sources such as the internet, statistical institutes, customs offices, industry associations, and so forth.
Fernando Fernández-Tapias, president of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce.
– The Madrid Chamber of Commerce frequently organizes workshops analyzing the opportunities that different markets offer to Madrid businesses. They recently focused on the Czech Republic; do they plan to present any other destinations in the coming months?
Indeed, the Madrid Chamber of Commerce has become a leader in promoting international markets, facilitating initial contact between our companies and their target markets. These seminars and information sessions are eminently practical meetings. Through them, we aim to provide our business owners with the information they need to decide whether to further explore other markets.
Over the past few years, representatives from countries all over the world have visited our Chamber. The criteria used by the Chamber, through its International Relations Department, to determine which markets are of interest are based, firstly, on the State's internationalization plans; secondly, on the Chamber's Plan coordinated by the Higher Council of Chambers of Commerce, and on the interest shown by the companies themselves in the contacts the Chamber maintains with them; and thirdly, on the sectors with the greatest development in our region.
Around 40 seminars or information sessions are planned for 2003, covering topics such as geography, sector, investment, and cooperation. The areas of greatest interest to our companies will be the countries participating in the expansion, Asia-Pacific (primarily ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and China), and the Americas.
– Do companies in the Community of Madrid have an export-oriented mindset?
Companies in Madrid, especially SMEs, are aware of the need to open up to other markets given the progressive and growing saturation of our own.
However, this does not mean that export activity has reached an optimal level. Much remains to be done, and the Madrid Chamber of Commerce is committed to promoting this essential activity.
The first level would have already been reached; the second step would be to consolidate the commercial activity of our companies so that their activity in the most important markets would be permanent; the third level should be the conquest of emerging markets and finally, direct investment, a step that in general still remains far off.
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