By Linda Spencer
 SEMA’s Middle East Business Development Conference is designed to provide members with a low-cost, efficient way to explore markets the association has identified as promising for export. |
The state of California recently announced that it is making funds available to SEMA to help members defray the cost of exhibiting at the SEMA Middle East Business Development Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first 12 qualified California companies will receive the funds. The SEMA Middle East trip is designed to provide members with a low-cost, efficient way to explore markets the association has identified as promising for export. Program fees include a turnkey booth in the SEMA section of the Custom Show Emirates, networking events with pre-vetted buyers and shop tours, among other activities. Hotel and all meals are also covered by program fees.
The newly announced funds are being made available as part of the State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) Program, a pilot export development program authorized by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. The program, funded by money from the federal government and the State of California, is designed to increase the number of U.S. small businesses that are exporting, and increase the dollar value of exports by those small businesses. The program is being administered locally by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.
The State of California funds are in addition to the $900 in funds and technical assistance available to qualified firms through SEMA’s longtime partnership with the federal International Trade Administration’s Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) award. Those companies who self-certify as eligible for the federal funds would also be eligible for the state funds.
More information on the trip is available at www.sema.org/middleeast or by contacting Linda Spencer, SEMA’s International Director, at lindas@sema.org.
Register now! Interested in receiving the State funds? The first step is to be the first to register for the SEMA Middle East trip.
Want to confirm that the slots haven’t been filled? Have questions? Contact Linda Spencer at lindas@sema.org.