Organic Report Fall 2021 - Flipbook - Page 34
ORGAN IC WORLDW IDE
Vitual trade missions expand international business
A
s a result of ongoing event cancellations due to
COVID-19, the Organic Trade Association continued
our virtual trade missions in 2021, building on the
success of the fall 2020 activities. We hosted two organicspecific virtual trade events — one for organic ingredients
focused on buyers in Asia, and another for processed
products focused on buyers in Australia and New Zealand.
Virtual trade missions are an incredibly cost-effective
method for generating new overseas business connections
without travel expenses.
The first virtual event, held specifically for organic
ingredients, brought together seven U.S. suppliers and seven
buyers from South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines.
Combined projected sales across all seven U.S. suppliers were
$295,000, an impressive amount for a small group and highly
concentrated event. A total of 25 meetings took place during
this event.
Virtual trade missions are an
incredibly cost-effective method
for generating new
overseas business connections
without travel expenses.
Our second virtual event was for organic processed
products targeting buyers in Australia and New Zealand.
This virtual event was significantly different from past events
as it took place over the course of three days, and included
market briefings, virtual store tours, interviews with retailers
and distributors, and one-on-one meetings. The majority of
participants noted in their evaluations that the market
briefings and virtual store tours were highly beneficial in lieu
of traveling overseas, and the interviews with retailers before
their meetings allowed more time for companies to pitch
their products.
Eleven U.S. companies participated in the event, four of
which were new to an Organic Trade Association hosted
activity. Across these 11 companies, projected sales are
$639,000. Seven buyers from Australia and New Zealand
participated in the event, and their projected purchases are
$2,326,000! About 40 meetings took place during the oneon-one meeting sessions.
34
OUR 2022 INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
The Organic Trade Association plans to get back
on the road to some of the largest food and
beverage trade events next year, if international
travel conditions allow. Here are the planned
international activities for 2022.
Dubai, UAE
Feb. 13-17
Nuremberg
Feb. 15-18
Anaheim, CA
March 9-10
Tokyo
March 7-11
Singapore
March 28-31
Montreal
April 20-22
Taiwan
June TBD
Monterrey, CA
July, TBD
Philadelphia, PA
September TBD
Paris
October 15-19
For most of our international trade show activities, the Organic Trade
Association covers round-trip economy airfare and hotel for one
company representative, as well as the costs for a table top in
our booth to display your products. For buyers missions,
we recruit qualified buyers from around the world and coordinate
one-on-one meetings on the sidelines of trade events.
Organic Report • Fall 2021
