Special Report on Germany and Lebanon
Newsletter Fundaci贸n ExportAr
Fundaci贸n ExportAr
December 2011
ExportAr Awards Hexacta TGV Plumari S.A. ProC贸rdoba MBMed S.A. El Libro Foundation Gemaco Giorgi S.A.
Report of Activities 2011 Guadalajara International Book Fair Cute Ediciones Gradifco Ambassador Faillace Sugar & Spice
December 2011
International Horse Show SICAB
During 2011, Fundaci贸n ExportAr had a successful year with numerous activities and a high record of exports.
An overview of these accomplishments shows 127 commercial promotion activities, in which 3,980 Argentine companies were involved.
We participated in 76 International Fairs hosted in 26 worldwide locations. We organized 26 International Business Rounds, in which 2,339 Argentine companies from different sectors met foreign traders in our country. We helped 223 local entrepreneurs to participate in 25 promotional activities for exporting services. We responded to 1,402 commercial inquiries; and we trained 1,367 professionals through 37 seminars in 18 Argentine provinces.
Finally this month, we held our traditional ExportAr Award Ceremony. In this 16th edition, the awards were granted to local entrepreneurs who worked to start their export business, to those who consolidated their foreign markets, or those who tried to expand to new points of sale abroad. In this occasion, Fundaci贸n ExportAr distinguished eight national exporting companies for their outstanding performance and many other achievements during 2011.
2011
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The Newsletter from Fundación ExportAr
December 2011
STAFF Administrative Board-President Miguel Acevedo
SUMMARY 4 Guadalajara International Book Fair 7 Interview | Felipe Viñals, Editor-in-Chief of Cute Ediciones 8 Interview | Sergio Paolini, Managing Partner of Gradifco 11 Interview | Ambassador Magdalena Faillace 14 The Market 15 The Sector
Administrative Board-Secretary Secretary for International Economic Relations Amb. Cecilia Nahón Administrative Board-Treasurer Undersecretary of Investment Development and Trade Promotion Amb. Carlos Alberto Bianco Executive Director Juan Usandivaras Manager Diego Nelli
News Editor-in-Chief Eduardo Bevacqua News Staff Héctor Lorenzo Verónica Scornik Javier González Ojeda Rosario Menéndez
16 International Purebred Spanish Horse Fair
News Designers Pablo Caruso Sebastián Feinsilber Omar Baldo Flavia Visconte
20 The Market 21 The Sector
News English Version M. Verónica Muñoz, PhD Typography: Bree, © Type together
22 Interview | Frank E. Almeida, Sugar & Spice
w w w . e x p o r t a r . o r g . a r Total or partial reproduction of the articles and photographs is allowed
News 2provided you cite “News”, the Newsletter of Fundación ExportAr, as the source of the materials in any reproduction, publication, distribution, or transfer of the materials.
Dossier | Alemania
24 ExportAr Awards 28 Interview| MBMed S.A.
33 Interview | ProCórdoba
29 Interview | Hexacta
34 Interview | El Libro Foundation
30 Interview | TGV
36 Interview | Gemaco
32 Interview | Plumari S.A.
37 Interview | Giorgi S.A.
40 Report of Activities 2011
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Dossier. Germany 58 Interview | Natalia Portas, Messe Frankfurt Argentina 60 Interview | Erika Enrietti, Argentine-German Chamber of Commerce 64 Argentine Center of Commercial Promotion in Frankfurt 68 Opinion | Victorio Taccetti, Argentine Ambassador in Germany
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Special Report | Lebanon
Activities
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Fairs
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24th Performance Racing Industry Trade Show 2011
16th L’Artigiano in Fiera 2011
Training Oil Export Development, Comodoro Rivadavia, Province of Chubut Formation of Export Groups, Province of Córdoba First Steps towards Exports, Province of Formosa
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Calendar of Activities 2012 News
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Guadalajara International Book Fair Almost 70 Argentine publishers participated in the most important editorial gathering in Latin America November 26 to December 4 Guadalajara, Mexico Books
The Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL from its Spanish name, Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara) was founded in 1987 by the University of Guadalajara. Year after year, the Fair has grown in importance by inviting new authors and reaching a general public, both enthusiastic and more demanding. Today, the FIL is the largest international market in the world for Spanish-language publications. The Expo Centre of Guadalajara (34,000m2) hosts the publishing, the academic, and the cultural productions. Publishers, book-industry professionals, literary agents, reading promoters, translators, distributors, and librarians visit the fair for commercial or professional purposes. Both unknown and acclaimed authors consider FIL the ideal place to present their work as it promotes dialogue between writers and readers. More than half a million people enjoy new titles and editions during this nine-day fair, which has become a major cultural festival in Latin America. The Guadalajara Book Fair fosters dialogue and exchange among participants from all around the world, offering a multicultural experience. As a consequence, each year shows an increased presence in writers from languages other than Spanish, as this event seems to be their link towards the Spanish-speaking readers. Besides, since 1993, the Fair has a country or region as “Guest of Honor”. Its role is to show the best of its editorial and artistic production during this international forum. On this opportunity, Germany has been the chosen country.
Another important issue discussed during FIL relates to the sale of copyright licenses as the fair gathers different institutions and associations from the USA and worldwide, particularly from Europe. This reaffirms the international scope of the event. Accessing books is one of the main goals of FIL, so there are more than 600 hours of activities and many of these address the general public: workshops at FIL Kids; meetings between authors and students at FIL Youth; “The Pleasure of Reading” Program for writers and readers; books presentations by readers through the program “The readers present”; and different forums and literary events.
In 2011, the exchange between readers and authors was perfect. After nine days of intensive literary, professional, and cultural activities, the Guadalajara International Book Fair closed its 25th edition with high marks, attracting 659,898 participants. This 2011 Fair shows the participation of 1,935 publishing companies, 17,800 book professionals, 188 literary agents, and 501 media representatives. Furthermore, 529 book presentations and 53 literary forums were held among other activities.1
1 Source: www.fil.com.mx
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Important Argentine Participation According to some preliminary studies, the Argentine publishing activity in 2011 grew more than in 2010. Published titles increased by almost 30 percent and books between a 100 and 110 percent. This was also shown by the active participation of Argentine publishing companies in the 2011 FIL, which itself grew 19 percent more than the year before. For the past nine years, the Direction of Cultural Affairs of the Argentine Chancellery -through Fundación ExportAr- in conjunction with the Argentine Chamber of Books organized the Argentine National Pavilion (240m2) with 69 publishing companies exhibiting their books. Our national publishing companies were there in order to enhance the existing commercial ties, as well as to contact representatives and distributors in new markets, such as Mexico, Central America, Latin America, and the USA. This year FIL’s slogan was “The 25 best kept secrets in Latin America”, a series of presentations made by 25 young writers among which were Hernán Ronsino, Fernanda García Lao, and Fabián Casas from Argentina. Meetings, debates, and lectures from these authors aimed to delve into the origins of Latin American identity.
Furthermore, other well known authors, such as Diana Bellessi, Tununa Mercado, Juan Sasturain, Federico Jeanmarie, and Guillermo Martínez coordinated the activities in the Argentine Pavilion. Martínez is the author of The Oxford Murders (Imperceptible Crimes in Spanish), a police novel that was made into a movie directed by Alex de la Iglesia in 2008. It is worth mentioning the variety of activities that took place at the national pavilion. The talk “Open Dialogue with Diana Bellessi” put together by two local journalists was followed by several roundtables on literary criticism and the market. A particular roundtable entitled “The legacy of a non-conformist” was a tribute to the recently deceased philosopher and writer Nicolás Casullo. Another one about “Society and Memory in Argentine Police Novels” had the participation of Sasturain, Martinez, and Jeanmarie. Several presentations took place during the fair: one of them on “Literary Generations: trends, continuities, and breaks” with Mercado, Casas, and Ronsino; and, as Borges is one of the most translated Argentine authors, there was a presentation about “Sarmiento and Borges, two foundational writers”. Finally, there was a photography exhibition about the socially committed politically-engaged intellectuals who passed away in 2011: María Elena Walsh, Ernesto Sábato, David Viñas, and León Rozichtner.
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Guadalajara International Book Fair
Argentine Companies in the Fair Editorial Dunken Albatros Alfagrama Ediciones Corregidor Ediciones Colihue Editorial Biblos Lugar Editorial Editorial Maipue Espacio Editorial Grupal Homo Sapiens Ediciones Imaginador / Proyecto Larsen La Crujía Ediciones Editorial Bonum Waldhuter Distribuidor - Waldhuter Editores Nueva Librería Ediciones de La Flor Editorial y Distribuidora Continente Cooperativa Editorial de la Universidad Nacional de Lanus Ediciones Ungs - Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento Editorial - Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Editorial de la Universidad Nacional de
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Quilmes Editorial de la Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto Editorial de la Universidad Nacional Del Sur Editorial Uader Ediunju - Editorial de la Universidad Nacional de Jujuy Eudeba S.E.M Eudem (Editorial Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata) Universidad Nacional del Litoral Editorial Universidad Abierta Interamericana Editorial Universidad Adventista del Plata Educa, Editorial de la Universidad Católica Argentina Nueva Sociedad Editorial Brujas Ediciones Manantial Nobuko Ediciones Pluma y Papel Lea Editorial Visor Longseller Ediar Heliasta – Claridad – Unaluna
Editorial Astrea Osmar D. Buyatti - Librería Editorial Rubinzal Culzoni Editores Feria del Libro de Buenos Aires Comunicarte Ediciones Infantil.Com Editorial Beeme - Elefantino Editorial Sigmar Iamiqué Calibroscopio - Libros para ver mundos Edimed Editorial Inter-Médica Libreria Akadia Editorial Ediciones Journal Ediciones de Mente Editorial Del Nuevo Extremo Editorial El Ateneo Users Terramar Ediciones Editorial Claretiana, al servicio de la Evangelización Misiones Franciscanas Conventuales San Pablo Cute Ediciones Gradifco Capital Intelectual Roberto Rafael Basilico, Libros para el mundo Ruy Diaz
Interview | Felipe Viñals, Editor-in-Chief of Cute Ediciones
“We were able to meet face to face with the buyers” In less than five years, Cute Ediciones has firmly established its position in a significant sector of the publishing market: cooking and baking books. Felipe Viñals, Editor-in-Chief, shares his positive experience in the last Guadalajara International Book Fair and their plans for 2012.
How was Cute Ediciones born? How was the reader’s response to these specialized books? Cute Ediciones was a natural evolution from my career as a magazine director, the job I had before my own venture. I had a feeling that it would be more profitable making books instead of magazines. The reason for this decision lies in the fact that to make books there is less demand on employees. Compared to magazines, books allow for easier and greater distribution. My last experience as a magazine editor was for “El Gourmet”. I have always loved cooking and I found an interesting market for food related publications.
Which countries do you export to? Right now, we export to Chile, Uruguay, Peru, UK, and Spain.
What percentage of your annual total sales were exports? What are your short/mid-term goals?
and distribution companies. Some of them were from countries I have only contacted by e-mail or phone without success. During the Fair, they could get to know my company. I had meetings with very good buyers from Costa Rica and Ecuador who promised to place an order in February. I also met Colombian and Mexican buyers interested in large quantities of books that would require a financial investment on my side to meet their needs. It was important to have a place at the Argentine Pavilion which reduced the costs of participating in the event. I also value the opportunity of meeting colleagues and sharing experiences about the book export market in Latin America.
What are your short and medium term plans? In the short term, we want to invest in the excellence of our editorial project; we want to improve our distribution in Argentina in order to reach the whole country. We want to be accessible to all readers, whether they find our books in bookstores or elsewhere. A little further into the future, we want to increase the amount of new releases to 15 titles per year.
Today, 21% of our annual total sales come from exports and we expect to double this proportion in the next two years.
Are you thinking about publishing books on other topics?
How was your experience with Fundación ExportAr at the Guadalajara Fair? What new business opportunities have you found during this event?
Cooking and baking are a successful venue. We want to capitalize on the ‘Do It Yourself’ trend by expending into other similar topics, like knitting. We will probably explore it this year.
Attending the last FIL was a very positive experience. We were able to meet face to face with buyers from important bookstores News
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Interview | Sergio Paolini, Managing Partner of Gradifco
“In Guadalajara we do better every year” They were importers and, without even planning it, the 2001 economic crisis made them start their own publishing business. After 10 years, they are a solid publishing house and they export a huge collection of classical world literature to 18 Spanish-speaking countries. Sergio Paolini, Managing Partner, tells us about the company and its participation at FIL 2011, where they did business with 5 new countries. How was your company, Gradifco, born? How did you build your business in the editorial market? We started business as importers in 1998 but, in 2001, after the economic crisis, we replaced imports with our own editions. Luckily we had a market segment, namely local customers with a particular profile. Consequently, when the currency devaluation affected our prices, we decided to publish are own editions. In fact, before 2001 we sold book at prices similar to those in Spain or Mexico; but then prices here rose so high that it was impossible to keep selling those imported books here. It was a hard time for us since our customers owed us payments in devaluated Argentine currency while we had to meet our payments abroad in foreign currency.
You specialize in classical world literature in translation. Are those titles still in demand or have readers changed their interests? Today 90 percent of our books belong to what is called ‘complementary literature’, which refers to all the titles on High School reading lists. Even though the majority of our readers are students, we also reach the general public, because our prices are accessible. In fact, we target the ‘impulse buyer’, the one who walks down Corrientes Avenue and, while waiting for a friend, decides to stop by a bookstore and buy a $5 dollar edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy.
We apply a production criterion that I brought from Spain: to rotate the titles and obtain a less than regular gross margin.1 As a result, we can reprint a book up to five times in the same year.
Are you thinking of expanding towards other topics? Not right now. The editorial market has its fixed segments and we cover the ‘complementary literature’ one. If we suddenly switch into publishing new authors, we’ll probably find less response from our public, or from the bookseller who recognizes us in a particular field. In this sense, it is hard to think of changing our present situation.
To which countries do you export? Is it there any difference between local and international demands? We export to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Mexico, Chile, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia, and possibly to Spain. Regarding the demand, the situation is different. The local market might consume certain titles while, on an international level, readers may prefer others. However, there are certain classics like Ana Frank’s Diary, Don Quixote, or authors like Shakespeare or Nietzsche who are highly in demand everywhere.
1. Rotating a title depends on the amount of sales. Titles in high rotation are best-selling books.
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Guadalajara International Book Fair
How was your experience with Fundación ExportAr at the Guadalajara Fair? Fundación ExportAr’s support was very useful in the pavilion to solve problems that arose when we wanted to do international business. Even though it is hard to make a deal during the fair itself, you can discuss many related issues. Guadalajara is becoming more important each year. It is something amazing, and it gathers many Latin American customers. Our participation reflects how our business does: in fact, we do better every year. At FIL 2010, for example, we re-established our commercial relations with Honduras. We participated again this year because the corporate presence in the fair is important and we have the opportunity to meet customers, not always available the rest of the year. When you travel and you see your imprints in a foreign country, you realize the amount of work done in Argentina. In our case, we had 12 meetings and 5 countries placed orders –Bolivia, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, and El Salvador. We also have other orders yet to be confirmed and we distributed a lot of information about our company.
How will e-books impact print book sales? I think, in fact, that some market segments have been eliminated, such as reference. A lawyer does not search a printed volume of the Law Code, he uses a CD-rom. The same happened with printed encyclopedias that died long time ago. I believe our ‘complementary literature’ segment could be one of the last to be digitalized, mainly because of the cost of the book itself. It is not that profitable to make an e-book and it is expensive. First, e-books will be for books that can afford this procedure and, then, for those in high demand in the market.
How do you evaluate your last decade in the publishing business? We had very important experiences throughout these years. On the one hand, we were able to overcome the devaluation effect of the crisis and we settled our foreign payments. On the other, we consolidated our position in the local market and later in the foreign one, no matter what the volume in trade was (for example, Chile buys more than Guatemala, and we value our presence in both countries).
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Guadalajara International Book Fair
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Interview | Ambassador Magdalena Faillace
“After the success in Frankfurt, we should move even further ahead”
According to Ambassador Faillace, “Argentina’s participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair as a ‘Guest of Honor’ has changed a great deal the way we promote our culture. After this experience, we decided to move forward and seek new challenges so Argentina can export its culture to an even greater extent”. Ambassador Magdalena Faillace, who graduated with a degree in Literature, has a passion for culture in general and literature in particular. It has been a rewarding experience to interview her regarding Argentina’s participation at Guadalajara Book Fair. She is strongly committed to the promotion of our culture and she highly enjoys the successful activities organized by the Direction of Cultural Affairs of the Argentine Chancellery.
What do you think about Argentine participation at the Guadalajara Book Fair? Argentina has participated for many years in the Fair though 2011 was peculiar. It is appropriate to remember Argentina’s role as guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2010, because it was important and left a mark. We brought 70 authors and we organized a series of activities in major institutions in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Leipzig. We also coordinated the International Symposium in Brussels, and another one called “Borges, the Poet” in conjunction with the Ibero-American Institute at Leipzig. We were able to create a very positive image of our culture and of the leading role we play in Latin America. All of this shows the political decision of our president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, in the international promotion of our culture with adequate budget resources.
Making it very clear that exporting our culture is a priority That’s exactly what I mean. Our culture is our indisputable ambassador. Our leading role in the region is undisputable. We should highlight the Sur Program that provides grants for
translations, a program launched with the Organization Committee for the Frankfurt Fair. We have a constant exchange through our Direction of Cultural Affairs between the editorial world and our authors. In fact, the Sur Program is part of the government cultural policy.
Was Frankfurt 2010 a turning point for our culture in the world? Yes, absolutely. In 2011, a hundred titles were translated and we made the Sur Program a permanent resource for translators. We give 2,500 Euros per translation piece. This has allowed Argentina to directly participate in the promotion of literature in the world. In the last three years, we have become a country that defines the policies for promoting our literature in the Spanish from the River Plata. In fact, we have translated 291 titles in 37 countries into 32 languages. The images of our landscapes, our ways of loving and arguing, and of our passions reach 32 languages around the world, including even the most exotic ones like Bulgarian, Croatian, or Chinese. For example, in 2003, our writers were not translated into Italian. In 2011, out of the hundred pieces translated, 33 books were Italian translations of Leopoldo Marechal, Julio Cortázar, Rodolfo Walsh, and some more contemporary authors as well. The Sur Program is our winning ticket. People from the Frankfurt Book Fair think that it is the most important translation funding program in Latin America. This is very important for us. Our participation in Frankfurt took a whole year of preparations and ended in the Book Fair in October 2010. News
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Entrevista | Embajadora Magdalena Faillace
From that point on, we realized that we could not move backwards. After such an important achievement, we had to meet the same standards, not only in Frankfurt but in other Book Fairs as well. Thus, we had the same criterion at the Book Fair in Lima, Peru, a much smaller event, where we were the ‘guest of honor’ again. We cared a lot for the Fair stand and five authors participated as well. When we got to Guadalajara, we knew it was the most important event for the Spanish-speaking community in the Americas. As a result, we decided to improve our national presence at the Fair because Argentina today is the second largest book publisher in Spanish-language after Spain (Mexico used to be second and we were in third place). It was not good to have the same face as before, we had to strengthen our image. As a consequence, we built a 240m2 pavilion that included an auditorium which seated 36 people, with LCD TVs, a display counter with books by many authors (translated by the Sur Program). In our pavilion we had several roundtables with 8 Argentine authors (five supported by us, and three by the FIL).
How important is the government support for the promotion of our culture? Government support is essential. We have a President who, through the creation of UNASUR formerly chaired by President Néstor Kirchner, has fortified the relationship between the countries of the region. We cannot continue to pretend that we are a European country in Latin America. We are a Latin American country, with our own diversity that makes us different and alike at the same time. If we miss this cultural side, we cannot integrate ourselves political, economical and commercially into Latin American. This means that people should be aware of each other; they show know about their values, their cultural images, their differences, and things they have in common; they should realize what makes a Russian, a Spaniard, or a Chinese universally alike, while finding out our peculiarities.
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Why is the Guadalajara Book Fair so important? The Guadalajara Fair is powerful because it is a symbol of the strong investment that Mexico devotes to their national and international cultural politics. Mexico is a country with a deep pride in their pre-Colombian heritage. They are the heirs of the Aztec civilization. You can feel this in the streets, not just at the Fair. Culture is one of the foundations of their national identity and sovereignty, particularly in their relationship with the United States. As a result, the Fair celebrates culture with a great splendor. This year, two Nobel-prize writers, Hertha Müller and Mario Vargas Llosa, were there. Five Cervantes authors also participated, among which was Juan Gelman, one of our cultural representatives and a voice for Human Rights, particularly for his active role in the recovering of his granddaughter (a baby that was stolen from his disappeared parents and illegally raised under another identity for more than 20 years). Gelman was chosen to be the Opening Reader of the Poetry Salon of Guadalajara. This Fair is also remarkable for the participation of around 200 writers and reading promoters from all over the world in the 40 different national stands and pavilions. In addition, it has a privileged location behind the prestigious University of Guadalajara.
What was the impact of the Argentine Pavilion? Our space had a huge effect at the Fair. It was set up with Juan Usandivaras, Executive Director of Fundación ExportAr, who is a pleasure to work with thanks to his cultural sensitivity. We both agree that cultural industries generate wealth and promote values. We also believe in using certain things from Frankfurt, like the logo and motto. The logo is wonderful: it has the three colors of our flag intertwined which forms some bubbles or circles, a positive and euphoric ascending image that seems to be flowing. This is the way we want to show our culture and it also appears in the motto, “Argentina, Culture in Motion”.
Guadalajara International Book Fair
The first days of the Fair are dedicated to Professional Meetings. Later, the Fair opens its doors from 9:00am to 9:00pm for writers and publishers, with lots of activities every day. The general public, similar to the one that attends the Book Fair in Buenos Aires, constantly visits the exhibition ground. At our Pavilion, we kept pictures of our natural and cultural landscapes: the Jesuit Missions, the Iguazú Falls, Buenos Aires and Tango, Ischigualasto, Talampaya, and the Valdéz peninsula among others, because we understand that we are a very Southern country and we want to be known for our landscapes. One of the things we emphasize is the diversity of the Argentine culture, which reveals itself through the variety of images and the diversity of the last names of our authors. At Guadalajara, we organized nine roundtables, so we made our writers work a lot. In the end, we met our main goal of making Argentine Culture known abroad. We achieved so much at this event that we want to move even further ahead. We had an open talk with Diana Bellessi and with two Argentine journalists invited by the Fair. We also coordinated a roundtable to discuss the influence of literary criticism on the market. It is very important to get used to talking about ‘markets’ when we work in the cultural industries. This critique is not naïve. In fact, it shows a trend. This is the reason why we have rating charts for fiction and non-fiction bestselling authors. We also had a tribute to the recently deceased Nicolás Casullo. We organized a series of photographs of great authors who passed away in 2011: María Elena Walsh, Ernesto Sábato, David Viñas, and León Rozitchner. These four writers were political and socially committed. They rose against dictatorships which is very important for us, because our government strongly supports fighting for Human Rights. We also organized another roundtable about two founders of Argentine literature, Sarmiento and Borges. Sarmiento started our sociological literature with Facundo, when he tries to vilify Facundo Quiroga but ends up triggering admiration for his image in the readers. Borges is the best well-known translated writer who has addressed major human issues. He is one of the fathers of fantasy literature.
What is the effect of the Sur Program on the region? It is huge. We even received Brazilian delegates who wanted to learn about the Sur Program and we have shared our rules and regulations. They will soon be the ‘guest of honor’ in Frankfurt and they want to organize and implement a similar plan.
Do you believe that the growth of the editorial industry is related to the implementation of the Sur Program? It would be too much to say that. I believe there is a sort of synergy. For the local market, publishers have produced a fabulous result, not only in the number of writers but in the amount of books sold. Back in 2003, I wrote the article “Argentine culture has never been in default”. We were living in the aftermath of the 2001 crisis: economic default, ‘cacerolazos’ (popular protests), and citizens emigrating to the North. However, in the midst of this crisis, no theaters closed its doors in Buenos Aires (which has more theaters than New York, Paris, and Berlin). The number of students who started studying Humanities also did not change. In fact, authors kept writing no matter the tough economic situation, though they published lesser quantities. Today, if you go to a bookstore for a book from last year, you probably won’t find it, even though the amount of printed copies has increased: books are sold out and this is a clear symptom of the growth of the industry. There were 68 publishers at FIL and there is steady publishing activity parallel to the economic growth of the last 8 years. The Sur Program posited our authors beyond our borders. I have talked to the most important literary agents in Spain that promote the translations of Latin American books and they explained that, after launching the Sur Program, the demand of translations rose significantly. They could sell more copyrighted titles written by authors from our region. This shows that we are learning to be a team. Not only does government regulate the activity, but also it supports and builds bridges between authors and the book industry sector.
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The Market Mexico covers almost two million square kilometers and has a population of 114 million. It is the third largest country in Latin America and the second most populous one. Its main cities are Mexico City with a population of 19.3 million, Guadalajara (4.3 million), Monterrey (3.8 million), Puebla (2.2 million), and Tijuana (1.6 million inhabitants). Mexico is the 11th largest economy in the world. In fact, it is one of the most developed economies in the world and within the region. Its GDP for 2010 was $138.99 billion dollar, while its GDP per capita was $14,000. The service sector is the largest component of its GDP at 63.5%, followed by the industrial sector at 32.6% and agriculture, that represents only 3.9%. Moreover, the life expectancy in Mexico is 76.4 years, a figure similar to developed countries. During 2010, Mexican exports increased by $298.5 billion dollars. The most significant exports are manufactured products, such as automobiles. Mexico also produces oil, coffee, cotton, and silver from the mining industry. This merchandise mainly serves the needs of NAFTA members and its main trade partners are the United States (where 73.5% of the total shipments are sent) followed by Canada (7.5%). Mexican imports in 2010 exceeded $301 billion dollars. Its main trade partners are the United States (60.6%), China (6.6%), and South Korea (5.2%). In terms of bilateral trade between Argentina and Mexico, sales to said market in 2010 reached $1.2 billion dollars. Among the main products exported to Mexico are motor vehicles and transport equipment and parts (with shipments worth $431 million dollars, 35% of the share of total exports), followed by aircraft, watercraft and parts ($189 million, 15.5%), chemicals ($111 million, 9.18%), and metals ($66 million, 5.4%).
Photograph Š Courtesy of FIL Guadalajara/Bernardo De Niz.
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Guadalajara International Book Fair
The Sector The Publishing industry, after the audiovisual sector, is one of the most relevant areas of the cultural industries. It has 2,517 imprints with publishing houses (more than 600 are SMEs), public and private institutions, universities, and newspapers, among the most prominent. The publishing sector of our country is quite dynamic in the Argentine economy. According to preliminary estimates, activity in 2011 was greater than in 2010. Titles increased by 30% and copies by 100% and 110%. To these new quantities, we should add the increase of book printouts and its consequent reduction of acquisitions abroad. The main imports come from Spain, China, Mexico, Colombia, and to a lesser extent from Venezuela. The number of books published annually has doubled in recent years compared to the convertibility period in Argentina. In fact, it has surpassed almost the 22,000 titles. Brazil is the only country in South America that exceeds this mark printing more than 40,000 titles.1 In addition to large firms, several small and mediums (SMEs) publishing companies called “niche brand” favor diversity in the supply of books. In 2011, there was a 7% increase in the creation of imprints. In fact, 85% of the publishing market consists of SMEs, while the remaining 15% belongs to large national and international companies. The major editorial centers are located in larger cities, such as Buenos Aires, and the provinces of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santa Fe. In 2010, Argentina exported to 78 worldwide destinations, particularly in Latin America: Chile (18.8%), Peru (12.7%), Mexico (11.2%), and Uruguay (10.3%). It is also worth mentioning that exports to Spain (4% of total exports) and African countries, like Mozambique and Uganda, generated more than $200,000 dollars.
(1). Source. National Secretary of Culture, Report on the Economic Situation in Argentine culture, 1:2, November 2009.
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SICAB 2011
(International Purebred Spanish Horse Fair) Argentina was the “guest of honor” in the 2011 Fair edition, the most important single-theme trade fair in the world focused on purebred Spanish horses. Seville, Spain 22 to 27 of November Horses
Since 1991, SICAB (Salón Internacional del Caballo-International Horse Show) has been held during the last week of November at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos (Convention Center) in the city of Seville. The Fair is organized by the National Association of PRE (Pura Raza Española-Purebred Spanish Horse) Breeders (ANCCE). It is the third most important social-economic event held in the city of Seville, with more than 240,000 visitors and a thousand PRE Horses. This event is, in importance, right behind the world-famous Easter Processions and the April Fair in Seville. SICAB is the most important single-theme trade fair in the world and offers the visitors a wide range of examples of breed versatility for their enjoyment throughout the week. Additionally, SICAB is the grand final for the Spanish National Championships for PRE Stallions and Mares, so it has the very best horses from an objective point of view, meaning those that have proven their worth as potential winners. During this International Horse Fair, several additional activities take place to show the characteristics that have been historically admired in this particular breed of horse. Among them are the Spanish Morphology Competition, the ANCCE Cup for the equestrian disciplines of Show Jumping, Doma Vaquera, Dressage, Carriage Driving, Alta Escuela as well as the Exhibition Competition and the Show. There are professional meetings on specific topics for amateurs and specialist veterinarians. SICAB is an international event which attracts about 150,000 visitors; boosts 1,200 PRE horses participating in the show from 124 stud farms; and has an exhibit area larger than 45,000 m2.
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SICAB
Guest of Honor In this scenario, Argentina has been chosen to attend the 21st Fair Edition for the first time as a “guest of honor”. Its participation was organized by the National Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries from the Province of Buenos Aires, and Fundación ExportAr. It is worth mentioning that our country has an important equine herd size of 3.5 to 4.5 million of horses, which means that Argentina is among the 10 top horse-producer countries in the world. During SICAB 2011, Argentina had a national pavilion of 128m2 located in front of ANCCE, the Fair organizer. This location enabled several activities, such as Argentine wine and food tastings. There was also a display with materials for promoting official institutions and the national companies. A private conference room, which seated 75 people, was available for the Argentine delegation and there were special boxes (located in the exterior triangle) for the 20 horses which participated in the event.
beef) and “empanadas” (turnovers) filled with knife-cut meat (diced beef). This was a resounding success and it served 250 kilos of Argentine beef with national wine from the Winery “Fin del Mundo” (End of the World). At the same time, during he afternoons, visitors were able to taste the typical Argentine “mate” offered by the Yerba Mate National Institute (INYM) with the popular “9 de oro” biscuits from the company Molinos Cañuelas. In both occasions, the servers were dressed up as “gauchos” and the firm Cardón prepared their special fashion design for the fair. The Argentine participation in SICAB included all aspects of our culture. In addition to the food tasting, there was a daily show performed by the Argentine Equestrian Art School and the Ballet Udaondo with genuine gauchos who evoked the tasks they carry out in the Pampa. There was also a tango show by Inprotur with a couple that made two daily performances. Finally, an exhibition on equestrian fine art from Guadalupe Gutierrez Peydro was shown in the private conference room. It was remarkable the enthusiasm expressed by the public on the Argentine equestrian shows, in which both mates and biscuits were exchanged while gauchos welcome foreigners to our traditions.
To resemble the style of our traditional countryside and with the support from the Argentine Beef Promotion Institute (IPCVA), a “pulpería” (local store) was built and, on the evenings, it offered tastings of Argentine beef through “asados” samples (roasted
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Results and Announcements
On the Pure Spanish Horse (PRE)
According to the organizers, the 21st edition of the International PRE Horse Fair/SICAB succeeded beyond all expectations, both in the number of visitors (almost 200,000) and on the business side. 946 horses from 11 countries participated in the Fair, as well as 306 stud farms, and 321 commercial exhibition stands. There were 287 accredited journalists coming from Spain, Belgium, France, Great Britain, USA, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Ecuador, Germany, and Argentina.
The PRE is a breed of horse from the Iberian Peninsula and its conformation has been influenced over the centuries by many different peoples and cultures who occupied Spain, as well as by the changing aristocratic tastes. The PRE is also known as the Andalusian horse due to its origin in the region of Andalusia that has the merit of enhancing the breeding and their spirit.
Several international authorities also visited SICAB. Representing Argentina, the “guest of honor” in 2011, the mayor of the city of Ezeiza, Mr. Alejandro Granados, and his wife, the Congress Representative Mrs. Dulce Granados, participated in the Fair with our Ambassador in Spain, Carlos Bettini. They all showed their unconditional support to the bilateral trading relations between Argentina and Spain. Javier Conde, President of ANCCE, was very pleased with the response from the public at the Fair and he affirmed that SICAB “met its goals”. He also added that “we have kept our quality standards and it is the first time we show more than 90 horses”.1
1 ABC-Seville, November 27, 2011.
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Much has been written and said about this breed for its prowess and elegance. Members of the breed have heads of medium length, with a straight or slightly convex profile, and lively big eyes. Apart from this physical description, PRE are noble, strongbuilt, resistant, and energetic. They tend to be docile, while remaining intelligent and sensitive. The Andalusian is, above all, constant beauty on display. All these qualities allow this breed of horse to be ideal for horsedrawn carriages, the “doma” (taming), and rural tasks as well. In fact, PRE has always shown a lively lofty trot, ideal for quick galloping. It is one of the fastest horses in Europe. When the horse gallops, a rear leg propels the horse forward so the animal is only supported on that single leg while the remaining three legs are moving forward.
SICAB
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The Market Spain is one of the ports of entry to the European market. It is located in a privileged geographical position between the Mediterranean Sea in the South and the Atlantic Ocean in the North. Spain has 46 million inhabitants and its main cities are Madrid (5.8 million inhabitants), Barcelona (5.1 million), and Valencia (812,000 inhabitants). The Spanish economy has been highly dynamic (until 2008). Its life expectancy is above 81 years old. In 2010, Spain’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita was $29,400 dollars. The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 72%, followed by the industrial sector at 24% and agriculture which represents only 4%. Regarding exports, Spain is 18th exporter in the world compared to other exporting countries with a trading volume of $253 billion dollars. Spanish exports show a great variety of products, from industrial and technological to high quality food. The most significant exports are motor vehicle parts, pharmaceutical products, and food, like fruits, vegetables, wine, cold meats and cheese, among other. Its main trade partners are the European Union members: France, where 18.7% of the total shipments are sent, followed by Germany (10.7%), Portugal (9.1%), Italy (9%), and UK (6.3%). Spain is 14th among importing countries and its imports were worth $353 billion dollars in 2010. Spain’s main imports are machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semi finished goods, foodstuffs and consumer goods. In 2010, its main trade partners were Germany with a share of around 12.6%, France (11.5%), Italy (7.3%), China (6.8%), Netherlands (5.6%), and UK (4.9%). In terms of bilateral trade between Argentina and Spain, sales to said market in 2010 reached more than $2 billion dollars. Among the main products exported to Spain are agricultural fodder (with shipments of $558 million dollars, a 25.3% share of total exports), followed by chemicals ($534 million), fish and seafood ($418 million), copper ($204 million), fats and vegetable oil ($100 million).
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SICAB
The Sector Domesticated horses (between 5,000BC and 2,000BC) were a technological change in human life. They were first used as a means of transport and as a food source (meat, fat, and leather); later becoming essential for warfare and farming activities.1 Even though horses are mainly used as a means of transport or for working purposes, the export of horses is aimed at the market of sports, recreation, and racing. The latter has an added value as it includes a high degree of horse training (in man hours) and a high value of investment in genetics (embryo transfer technology and artificial insemination to improve horse breeding techniques and results). The horse breeding business takes place in extensive, semi-extensive, or intensive stud farms. Most breeders are located in the Pampas region, which offers excellent conditions for the activity and it has close equestrian centers. The Peruvian Paso (descendant from PRE) is raised and bred in Northeastern Argentina to endure rough conditions. Argentina has an important equines herd size of 3.5 to 4.5 million horses, placing it among the top ten countries in the world (a 7% share of the business breeding in the world). In the last three years, the horse export industry has increased its volume by 25%. All equestrian activities produce $800,000 million dollars each year; they create 70,000 full-time jobs and 120,000 part-time jobs.2 The main horse export destination countries in 2010 were the USA with 34.1% of the total sales, followed by Brazil (with 18.6%), Chile (16.7%), Uruguay (12.8%), and Bahrein (4.9%).
1 Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries. Argentine AgriFood II, 2006 2 Organizers, Our Horses 2011 (Equestrian Exhibition)
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Interview | Frank E. Almeida , Sugar & Spice
Sugar & Spice: Gourmet Cookies and Homemade Flavor Ten years ago, Sugar & Spice created a niche market for gourmet cookies, just when this kind of product was gaining momentum in Argentina. Since then, they have chosen products from different cultures and parts of the world, and have promoted them locally and internationally. Frank. E. Almeida, partner of Sugar & Spice, tells us their history, their exporting experience, and the plans for 2012. Why did you start Sugar & Spice ten years ago?
We did market research on gourmet products for export; we travelled to the US, the UK, Canada; and we considered our previous experience and knowledge of other regions. We concluded that the international gourmet market was, to some extent, saturated with products; but we identified several very clear market niches, like marmalades, olive oil, pasta, coffee, tea, and cookies. These market niches started developing slowly in Argentina and we found local companies focused on each of these products, even with a gourmet version of our traditional ‘alfajor’. However, the cookies and biscotti market was not fully covered. Many bakeries offered delicious products but no gourmet cookies. Thus, after all this research, we decided to focus on gourmet cookies and biscotti.
How did you grow along these years?
Due to market demand, we had to expand our production and invest in technology. In order to do so, we visited several manufacturing plants abroad. We prepared a commercial plan based on the tested market and our commercial goals, and a group invested one million dollars in the project. We are located in a model plant building using technology from Argentina, Italy, and the US. We have efficient manufacturing procedures that guarantee the quality and safety of our products. We have also implemented a Food Safety Monitoring System (the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system or HACCP)
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You sell different gourmet cookies, like biscotti, brownies, pound-cakes, panettones, cookies, and snacks. Which product is always on demand? Are you planning to add a new product in the short term?
It depends upon each store. We have stores that sell more poundcakes; others sell more brownies; others, cookies and/or biscotti; some even sell more snacks. In general, the products with the highest demand are the brownies, followed by the cookies and biscotti. During Christmas and New Year’s, the panettones sell very much.
How much of your production is for export? The exports are around 8% of our total sales.
Have you found any business opportunities by participating in activities organized by Fundación ExportAr (like International Fairs, International Business Rounds or Promotional Services)?
At the same time, we are always playing and trying new things in the kitchen, so we may offer new products in the short term.
We had a very good experience participating in Business Rounds and International Fairs organized by Fundación ExportAr. Thanks to them, we were able to send shipments to Spain and France. We had a very good experience in Brazil at the last APAS Fair because we met a distributor and, right now, he is working there for us.
What can you say about the growth of gourmet products in our country and abroad?
You are members of our Export Group “All Gourmet Food”, what are the benefits of this membership?
All around the world, I see a movement towards homemade things, those more genuine or basic products that allow the buyer to identify ingredients. Long lists of sophisticated names are rejected; and this trend has also reached Argentina. Even though the gourmet market is rather small, it is growins larger every day. Consumers want tasty food; they want to eat good things.
At the same time, you can also share the cost of an exhibition stand in an international fair. Lastly, you don’t need a representative for each product during an exhibition: you can save money by sending all the export group products together under the responsibility of just one or two people.
I believe that the gourmet is a market niche that offers new products, some of which, strictly speaking, are not even gourmet. In fact, we only have a few products in Argentina that can fall under this label.
Where do you export to? What are your plans regarding new markets abroad? Right now, we export to Chile, Uruguay, and we just started in Brazil (they have just received our first shipment). Our goal is to work with them for the success of our product. We are also negotiating shipments to Peru and Paraguay.
When you belong to an export group, it is easier to have a seller or distributor that can oversee your business abroad, while you focus on your company, in the manufacturing process, and the local market. The group also enables the sharing of experiences so you can learn from your peers.
What are your goals for 2012?
We want to increase our database of clients in Argentina and reach the provinces as well. Internationally, we want to offer new products in our existing markets abroad, and open new business venues in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Paraguay.
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Deserved Recognition
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ExportAr Awards 2011
To Our Exporters
Fundaci贸n ExportAr acknowledges several national exporting companies that achieved important goals and performed impeccably during 2011. At the 16th award ceremony, distinctions were granted to several entrepreneurs as a way to support their effort to expand into new markets, to consolidate existent foreign markets, and to gain new sales points beyond our borders.
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Hugo Giorgi, from Giorgi S.A.
The award ceremony, held at the Salón Libertador (Palacio San Martin), was chaired by the Chancellor Héctor Timerman, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Cecilia Nahón, Secretary of International Economic Relations, Miguel Acevedo, President of the Administrative Board of Fundación ExportAr, and Juan Usandivaras, Executive Director of Fundación ExportAr, participated in the ceremony. Eight Argentine companies with solid exporting standing were distinguished this year, as well as the work of the Agency ProCórdoba, for its support and promotion.
Matías Madorno, from MBMed S.A.
85 billion, surpassing all expectations. The hard numbers on the diversification of our exports and the opening of new business destinations are also highly positive. Nontraditional manufacturing sectors with a high added value (such as dairy, fruit and vegetable preparations, vegetable oil, leather and hides, honey, steel, wine, chemicals, motor vehicles and parts) have become a potential market for exports”.
During his speech, the Chancellor explained that “the award seeks to publicly acknowledge the efforts and achievements of Argentine companies who place their products and services in the world market”.
Timerman remarked that “Argentina has opened and conquered new markets, thanks to the joint action of our government and our entrepreneurs. Thus, we have more than 20 countries as commercial partners with whom we trade both products and services worth more than 1 billion dollars. With this, we have reached a sales record in our exporting tradition”.
He further added that “since the beginning of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s administration, as well as during President Nestor Kirchner’s presidency, the Ministry under my charge has emphasized the need for enhanced synergies between public and private sectors as one of the key guidelines of Argentina’s trade policy” .
“From 2003 to 2010, Argentina has grown and almost tripled its exports. This was due to the process of selling our products and services with increasing added value, and also thanks to the incorporation of a growing number of small and medium enterprises (our SMEs), which have a key role in creating employment and improving social indicators”.
He explained that “in this sense, the ExportAr award seeks to encourage and increase the competitiveness of domestic production in demanding international markets, particularly the exporting SMEs, which play a fundamental role in the establishment of strategic objectives. These goals are set to encourage the growth and diversification of Argentine sales in the world and to create an export culture in the national business sector. This new culture would produce resources that would guarantee a sustainable development of our economy, support our national production, and create new jobs, all of which tend to favor a more equal distribution of income”.
“The participation of the companies and their permanent interaction with the public sector in the promotion and development of new markets has contributed to the improvement of an efficient commercialization of our products in the international market. This means gaining accessibility, enhancing sales, and diversifying our export base to new markets”.
The Chancellor also mentioned that “in reference to these goals, in the past eight years, we have obtained many important results, particularly in 2011. During the first 10 months of this year, Argentina has reached a record of 71 billion dollars in exports, representing a 25% increase over the same period last year. This result is routed in late 2011 to reach a record high of
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“Within this framework, the performance of our export companies, particularly SMEs, seems to be growing in proportion to the constant challenges and the need for quick and adequate responses to international demands. In other words: we acknowledge that the success we celebrate today is to a great extent due to the efforts of our companies. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we are proud of this effort and we recognize it as one of the pillars of our model for development”. For her part, Ambassador Cecilia Nahón, Secretary of International Economic Relations, pointed out that “behind the impressive
ExportAr Awards 2011
Gustavo Canevaro from El Libro Foundation
numbers, lies the work of many entrepreneurs”, adding later that “we hope to promote the federalization of our foreign trade”. The Ambassador highlighted that “the work of Fundación ExportAr is essential as it helps the many small and medium enterprises throughout the whole country”. Nahón congratulated the distinguished entrepreneurs and also acknowledged those who did not receive the award this time but had made an effort strengthening their position in their markets and even opened new. She added: “Numbers are eloquent and speak for themselves. I want to highlight the effort of all the men and women of our country who work every day to obtain these results with their exports”.
Fabio Gasparri from Hexacta
In turn, Juan Usandivaras, Executive Director of Fundación ExportAr, stressed the diversity of the sectors that participated this year: culture, computer science, building, agriculture, and cosmetics, among others. Usandivaras also pointed out that this award gathered representatives from different Argentine provinces, which showed the federal spirit of Fundación ExportAr’s work. The award was divided into eight categories. The winning companies were the following:
Category 1: First Export Winner: MBMed S.A. (City of Buenos Aires) Area: Respiratory Mechanics Monitor for Ventilated Patients
Category 5: Associativism for Export Winner: GEMACO S.A. (City of Buenos Aires) Area: Building Materials Export Group
Category 2: Opening of New Markets Winner: Plumari S.A. (City of Buenos Aires) Area: Hair Cosmetics (development and manufacture of hair color products)
Category 6: Export and Promotion of Culture Winner: The Book Foundation (City of Buenos Aires) Area: Culture and Book Promotion-Non Profit organization
Category 3: Incorporation of Innovation and/or Added Value to the Product for Export Ganador: GIORGI S.A. (Fuentes, Province of Santa Fe) Area: Agricultural Machinery
Category 7: Exports of Other Services Winner: Hexacta (City of Buenos Aires) Area: Technology Consulting and Software Development
Category 4: Consolidation and Permanence in Foreign Markets Winner: TGV, Excellence in IT Solutions, Inc. (City of Buenos Aires) Area: Systems Implementation and Software Development
Category 8: Exporter Process Support Services Winner: ProCórdoba SEM Agency (City of Cordoba) Area: Exports Promotion Agency-Provincial/State Level
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ExportAr Awards 2011 | MBMed S.A.
Argentine Innovation in Medical Equipment MBMed, located in the City of Buenos Aires, was granted the First Export Award. MBMed develops health care equipment with the latest technology. The engineer Mat铆as Madorno, MBMed founder, states that they research constantly to improve their machines and develop new equipment. When and how did you start this company? During my undergraduate studies at the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires (ITBA), I worked at the Artificial Intelligence Lab. One of my professors offered me a job at a company dedicated to developing cardiologic equipment. My postgraduate studies focused on Design and Maintenance of Medical Equipment, so I concentrated my interest in bioengineering as it was a potential area of research and study. After some market research, I decided to work on respiratory monitors which are complementary to respirators. I am talking about the FluxMed monitor. At the end of 2004, I began its design and, by mid-2005, I was sure that I could produce it and started the company. We always invest in research to improve our machines thanks to the support of the Argentine Technology Fund (FONTARNational Agency for the Promotion of Technology and Science for Argentina). I am proud to say that today FluxMed is a unique product in the world.
What type of services do you offer and why would someone be interested in your products? The Flux-Med Monitor allows the monitoring of patients in the process of weaning. It also enables calculating parameters that respirators do not handle which is very useful when dealing with a difficult patient. We are always improving our products, adding new things or functions to the existing equipment, or designing new machines. Those who have our machines know that they are the latest technology.
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Have you done promotional activities jointly with Fundaci贸n ExportAr? What were the results? MBMed has belonged to the export group Medylab since 2010; so we have been able to participate in the most prestigious international fairs on medical equipment. Fundaci贸n ExportAr has helped us a lot through Medylab, by setting up a collective stand at these fairs, by building a network with related companies, and through business rounds. Its support has helped us a lot.
What does the First Export Award mean to you? It has been very important to us. We are a very small business with only three people. Everything is done with a lot of effort. To be considered for this award is amazing. It is a high recognition and it makes us feel very proud of our achievements.
How did you start exporting? What markets have you reached? How do you plan to expand them? Since we joined the export group Medylab in 2010, we have gained truly international visibility. We also obtained the CE Mark (European Conformity Mark from the European Community), and the ISO13485 and ISO9001. We also found some distributors but this market has a very slow pace, so our first export was in 2011. We export our equipment to France, Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, and Brazil. We have also sent a shipment to Spain. We will probably place our product in Italy and Egypt soon. Our mid-term goal is ambitious and we want to sell worldwide. I know this is really possible.
ExportAr Awards 2011 | Hexacta
Internet Artisans with Global Reputation Hexacta is a technology consulting and software development company. They received the award for being a service exporter in Argentina. Fabio Gasparri, a partner, describes their service as a fairly craft activity that requires of a big intellectual effort. Hexacta is an Argentine technology consulting and software development company. They stand out for their use of advanced technologies that, combined with a mature and flexible development process, results in high quality solutions. Hexacta also provides software quality assurance and testing; user interface design and usability; and training in Scrum. Hexacta was created in 1999. Hexacta’s culture is based upon self-initiative, creativity, and knowledge. Among the company’s core values, it is worth mentioning the dedication and passion for excellence; the human resources approach through collaboration and respect; their talent retention and continuous motivation towards new technologies; their creativity and innovation in all research areas. These characteristics have been appraised in several awards and they have received prizes throughout these years, such as: • Ranked by the Great Place to Work Institution (GPTW) as one of the Best Company to Work for in Argentina (in the past three years) • Recognized by CESSI as the “Best Argentine IT Company of the Year” – Sadosky Prize 2009 • Winner in the European Software Institute (ESI) 2010 Excellence Awards in the International category. • Winner in the La Nación-Banco Galicia 2010 Awards in the Most Innovated Export category. • Recognized in the list of the top 100 companies that define the global outsourcing business “GS100” conducted by the consulting firm Global Services and NeoAdvisory. • Assessed at CMMI level 3 by the Software Engineering Institute (Carnegie Mellon University). It was one of the first Argentine companies to be assessed at CMMI. • Achieved ISO 9001 Certification. • Recognized by the Scrum Alliance as Registered Education Provider.
The company has 220 professionals located in Argentina in different development centers (Buenos Aires, Parana, and Bahia Blanca). They serve both the local and international demands. Hexacta has a long standing exporting experience of more than 11 years. Their commercial partners abroad are located in US, Mexico, and France. Hexacta contacted Fundación ExportAr a year ago and, since then, they have participated in two international events: the World BPOITO in New York City (March 2011) and the Gartner Outsourcing Summit in Orlando. In both opportunities, Hexacta was part of the Argentine delegation. Fabio Gasparri, a partner and in charge of Technologies & Methodologies, said that “it was a very positive experience and we are eager to share more of these events in the future”. As an example of their excellent performance in 2011, Hexacta was recognized by Fundación ExportAr for being a service exporter in Argentina. The company won in the category of “Exports of Other Services”. In reference to the award received, Fabio Gasparri stated that “this award is very important to us. Software development is a fairly craft activity that requires of a big intellectual effort. Somehow our raw material is talent, creativity, and the excellence of our people”. He further explained that “when we export software, we are, in a way, showing the world the capabilities of Argentine professionals. This is something that makes us proud and encourages us to stay competitive in a global market that increasingly poses more challenges”.
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ExportAr Awards 2011 | TGV Entrevista | Dra. Lía Fabiola Bianco
“Our daily work aims to consolidate our position as exporters” Ernesto Galíndez, partner of TGV Excellence in IT Solutions, highlighted the importance of their award while they consolidate their role in foreign markets. TGV, Excellence in IT Solutions, received an award during at 16th Fundación ExportAr Award Ceremony. They were recognized for their consolidation and role in foreign markets. Their 240 professionals are located in the City of Buenos Aires (headquarters), in the city of San Francisco (production center in the Province of Cordoba, Argentina), and in Monterrey (Mexico, its first international branch). They deliver information technology services and solutions (implementation and software development) to commercial partners in Argentina, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and many Latin American countries. They hope to open new venues in the American market in the near future.
and contact potential customers as well as meet our competitors in person. During 2012, we plan on working with Fundación ExportAr again in order to participate in more events that could help us place our services in the American market.
India is a strong competitor for outsourcing services, right? Yes, India is the strongest competitor. Nevertheless, we have competitive advantages that are appealing to the American market: the same time zone and a similar culture.
Do you believe that cultural similarities are so important? Ernesto Galíndez, partner and founder, welcomed us and expressed how proud they were of their success this year, particularly after having received the award from the hands of the Chancellor, Héctor Timerman, at the Salón Libertador (Palacio San Martín).
What did the award mean for your company? The award makes us want to continue growing along this exporting path. We were very happy with it because our daily work aims to consolidate our position in the export industry. We are proud of receiving this award because it means that Fundación ExportAr values our work. Becoming an export company has been a strategic decision: we have always been interested in exporting our services, despite the final outcome or the volatile context of the last 20 years. Our vision is to be recognized by the global marketplace as a world-class IT consulting company; thus we want access to the American market.
What are you doing to achieve this goal? Thanks to the support of Fundación ExportAr, it has been very important for us to participate in the Gartner Outsourcing Summit in the US. We were able to have a hands-on experience. We also meet our competitors and evaluate our position regarding costs and quality. In order to export our services, we need to invest almost a year and a half to deal with all related issues. It is not a quick task; thus, it is so important to participate in these events 30
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They are definitely vital and a clear advantage for us. I have seen American companies disregard Asian providers due to cultural differences. This is an advantage for us, as well as being able to operate in the same time zone. It allows us to instantly provide technical support. While people work in the US, others are sleeping in India, and we can step into this and offer qualified help.
Would you share the history of the company? In April 1992, Osvaldo Tessio, Marta Vicena, and I founded TGV. We started with a select but reduced number of professionals who had important experience in top-level consulting IT companies. Three main values constitute the pillars of our success: the drive to ensure that each product delivered is the most effective tool for the process it supports; the vocation to apply the most suitable technology to each project; and a commitment to our clients’ success. Each project is tackled with the TGV methodology which is rooted in discipline, creativity, imagination, and a strong drive for success. TGV’s work methodology was quickly accepted by the market and we were hired by important national and international companies, such as Philip Morris, Telecom Argentina, Loma Negra (the largest cement company in Argentina), and Santander Rio. Our original team of five professionals grew to almost a hundred in 1999.
Ernesto Galíndez from TGV
Ernesto Galíndez, Marta Vicena, and Osvaldo Tessio
In 2000, the company underwent another growth spurt that led us to re-evaluate our structure. We set up a project of evaluation and re-engineering of the whole organization, called CRECER (GROW), with the participation of every member of the company. As a result of this one-year project, in June 2001, a new corporate structure was implemented; TGV’s management structure to date. It is built on business units with specific objectives and responsibilities fixed by the Board of Directors. Coaching was implemented as a work philosophy and the roles and responsibilities of every member of the TGV team were formalized.
adhere to a quality standard of the industry known as CMMI. A specific department was created for this purpose, which directly involved at least 30 people. Thus, the whole organization delivers a homogeneous and predictable product for every project and to each client. In September 2007, TGV received its CMMI Level 2/3 certification.
In 2002, the Argentine economy underwent a sharp decline and the local currency was devalued, resulting in a heavy hit to TGV. Local demand for TGV services declined steadily. The crisis in Argentina, however, created a new opportunity for TGV: exporting services abroad. Previous international experiences were sporadic and opportunities were limited due to the relatively high cost of TGV’s fees in US dollars, but Argentina’s new exchange rate favored an international strategy. Furthermore, TGV’s ongoing relationships with leading multinationals positioned the company to leverage this new opportunity and TGV signed various contracts abroad.
Today we employ 240 people, and have developed strong bonds with local clients (in many cases, TGV has consistently provided services for over 15 years to these clients) such as Loma Negra, the gas company Transportadora Gas del Sur, and local subsidiaries of multinationals like Philip Morris. We also have global clients in Latin America and Europe, including Coca-Cola, Femsa in Mexico, the International Criminal Court in The Hague, TÜV Rheinland in Germany, and the United Nations in Switzerland. Furthermore, our company is working towards a more advanced CMMI maturity level. We have consolidated TGV as a benchmark for the IT industry in Argentina, and we are expanding its services to international markets. TGV’s organizational structure in Business Units and the 6 Operational Support Areas, added to our methodology and our 20 years of extensive experience, constitute TGV as a world-class IT consultant company.
In the following years, we consolidated our exporting business and improved our services to customers abroad. And, more importantly, our long-term goals were set in the export industry. We also started promoting our remote software development in the Spanish-speaking market, mainly in Latin America and Spain. Besides, one of our CEOs has recently moved to Mexico to solidify TGV´s position and leadership there.
What does TGV offer today to gain more clients?
Is TGV growing in parallel with the economic growth?
Today we offer a great deal of experience gained in important IT projects in Argentina, Latin America, and Europe, combined with the best professionals in the industry, coupled with an enthusiastic approach. In other words, TGV is committed to addressing the strategic needs of our clients in the public or private sector by optimizing their use of technology through our proven experience and best professional team.
Of course, it is. By 2006, TGV’s staff had grown to 200 professionals. The volume of business made it necessary to consolidate TGV’s commitment to the standardization of its products. Even though the adherence to the industry’s best practices and standards had been seen as part of TGV’s success from the very first day, this commitment had to be formalized. So, we began a process to
We have always understood technology to be a tool to help organizations pursue their objectives, allowing them to use their resources in the most effective and creative way while focusing on their core business. This has allowed us to become local leaders in IT industries: we know how to make software a competitive tool.
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ExportAr Awards 2011 | Plumari S.A.
A Company that Wants to Apply Makeup to the World Since 1983, Plumari has worked hard to place its cosmetic products abroad. They did all that was required to be a part of the international market in Spain, France, England, Australia, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Chile. As a consequence, they received the ExportAr award for “Opening New Markets”. Plumari S.A. from the City of Buenos Aires has been exporting its high-quality cosmetic products for more than 28 years. They received the award “Opening New Markets” from Fundación ExportAr for their persistent effort in opening new venues and increasing their exports. Fiorella Garibaldi, International Business Manager, explains that Plumari S.A.’s first exports to Uruguay were in 1983. During the 1990s, they started selling private labeling products to several countries, and its main client was Avon International. They also stepped into the Brazilian market and participated in different fairs in major cities, such as the Cosmoprof –Sao Paulo Cosmetic Trade Show. Since 2001, Plumari has focused its strategic goals in expanding their foreign markets while taking advantage of the financial scenario after Argentine’s currency devaluation. They first redesigned their packaging and printed materials for their point of sale, developing bilingual versions of their brochures in Spanish/English and Spanish/Portuguese.
It was a rewarding experience for all the cosmetics companies that traveled there and many potential customers felt safe contacting these companies as this trade venue was held at the Embassy and with the support of the Foreign Affairs Office and Fundación ExportAr. We will see a positive commercial outcome in the near future. Garibaldi highlighted that, during 2006, Plumari received the international certification ISO 9001-2000 for the Manufacturing and Commercialization of their cosmetic products, “so we guarantee the quality of each product and the uniformity in the production processes”. Plumari offers extensive experience in the development and production of private labeling. They have participated in this niche market of direct sales for more than 15 years, Avon International being one of their most important customers. They also produce cosmetics for customers in Spain, Argentina, Panama, UK, Australia, France, Puerto Rico, and Chile.
After receiving the award from Chancellor Timerman, Garibaldi explained that “right now, we have our materials in several foreign languages, such as French, Lithuanian, Persian, and Arabic, among others”. She also added that “we participated in international cosmetics fairs and exhibitions to contact potential clients, such as Intercharm in Moscow, PLMA in Chicago, Cosmoprof North America in Las Vegas, Asds in Las Vegas, Cosmoprof Bologna in Italy, Cosmoprof Sao Paulo in Brazil, PCIA in China, Beauty World Middle East in Dubai, PLMA in Amsterdam, Beauty Eurasia in Turkey, Beyond Beauty Cosmeeting Paris in France, among others. We also seek for new business opportunities for innovative products in each market”. Plumari belongs to an Export Group supported by Fundación ExportAr. The members of this group jointly with ExportAr organized an event at the Argentine Embassy in Santiago de Chile.
Fiorella Garibaldi from Plumari S.A. receiving her award
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ExportAr Awards 2011 | ProCórdoba Entrevista | Dra. Lía Fabiola Bianco
“This award fills us with pride” Oscar Guardianelli, President of ProCórdoba, expressed his satisfaction to Fundación ExportAr for the Exporter Process Support Services Award that the agency received.
ProCórdoba Agency has been granted the Fundación ExportAr award in the category Exporter Process Support Services. Oscar Guardianelli, President, received this award from the hands of Chancellor Héctor Timerman at the ceremony held at Palacio San Martin.
ProCórdoba Agency is the only entity that has received this award twice, as it was also distinguished in 2007 under the presidency of Gerardo Juarez. On that occasion, Fundación ExportAr highlighted the ongoing task of promoting foreign trade and giving advice to companies participating in the various trade promotion activities.
This distinction is annually granted by Fundación ExportAr for public recognition of the efforts and achievements of those companies and organizations that provide products and services to the global market. In this way, it promotes the growth and diversification of the exportable offer with quality, value-added, and high differentiation.
In reference to the 2012 trade promotion activity agenda, ProCórdoba has a calendar of activities for the companies to participate including international fairs and missions abroad.
Guardianelli remarked that “in 2011, we increased the participation of companies in our activities by 17% and we introduced new services to continue providing them our full support to initiate or strengthen foreign markets. This award fills us with pride and it is in recognition of all the work and effort in the agency”.
The Agency plans to support and promote 64 activities related to the foreign trade sector: 22 exhibition stand participation in trade fairs, 13 commercial missions to attend fairs abroad, 18 commercial missions to participate in Business Rounds, and 11 reverse trade missions or foreign buyer’s rounds in the Province of Córdoba.
Oscar Guardianelli, President of ProCórdoba
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ExportAr Awards 2011 | Fundación El Libro Entrevista | Dra. Lía Fabiola Bianco
Argentine Books Spread Our Culture Around the World El Libro Foundation received the award for Export and Promotion of Culture. Alberto Hughetti, member of the Administrative Board, expressed their satisfaction with the prize. He also highlighted the importance of the book industry in the promotion of our national culture around the world. It is remarkable the importance Fundación ExportAr assigns to Argentine culture, which is the image of our identity. On this basis, several promotional activities are conducted to show the oeuvre and ideas of our artists, authors, sculptors, and musicians abroad. Thus, Fundación ExportAr has an award category labeled “Export and Promotion of Culture”. This year, The Book Foundation received this special prize. Alberto Hughetti, Head of the Professionals Committee and Member of the Administrative Board, explained that “The Book Foundation is a non-profit organization established by the Argentine Society of Writers (SADE) in conjunction with the Argentina Book Chamber, the Argentina Publishing Chamber, the Magazine and Book Sector of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, the Argentine Federation of Graphic Industry and Related Fields, and the Argentina Federation of Bookstores, Offices Supplies, and Related Fields”. The main goal of The Book Foundation is the promotion of books and the enhancement of reading habits in society. Hughetti shared its history: “In 1974, several organizations and institutions responsible for the book industry established an Executive Committee and organized the first International Book Fair with the slogan From the Author to the Reader. This Committee was responsible for the International Fairs until 1984, when The Book Foundation was finally established”.
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The Book Foundation organizes, collaborates, and supports activities throughout the year, such as: International Book Fair of Buenos Aires Books for Children and Young People Fair Fairs and Exhibitions in Argentine Provinces Book donations to underfunded schools and libraries Literary and Cultural Contests Literature and Education Awards Books published by The Book Foundation National and International Conferences and Congresses Promotion in International Fairs
Since 1994, The Book Foundation has sought out new literary voices to promote cultural production and has organized annual literary contests for unpublished authors. The winners have been published and their books circulate in public libraries all over the country. The list is as follows:
2010. Cuentos Rioplateados. Dos siglos, dos orillas. Cuentos
1998. Cuentos con Historia. Cuentos históricos.
[Riverplated Stories. Two Centuries, Two Sides/Short Stories]
[Stories from History/Historical Tales]
2009. Historias y mitos de barrios de Buenos Aires. Relatos
1997. Cuentos con buena onda. Cuentos infantiles
[Neighborhoods in Buenos Aires: Tales and Myths/Tales]
[Good Mood Stories/Tales for children]
2008. Los que vienen y los que se van. Cuentos
1996. Primeros poemas. Poesía
[Those Who Arrive and Those Who Leave/Short Stories]
[First Poems/Poetry]
2007. Viajar para contar. Relatos y crónicas de viajes [Travel to Tell/Travel Narratives and Chronicles]
1995. Nuevos cuentos. Nuevos cuentistas. Cuentos de autores noveles
2006. Cuentos de la escuela. Relatos y anécdotas escolares
[New Short Stories, New Story Tellers/Tales from New Authors]
[School Stories/Stories and School Anecdotes]
1994. Pájaros debajo de la piel. Novela.
2005. Cuentos sin respiro. Quince cuentos infantiles de suspenso
[Birds Beneath Your Skin/Novel]
[Stories that Will Take your Breath Away/15 Thriller Stories for Kids]
2004. El arte de la novela corta. Obras de novela corta [The Art of Short Fiction/Novel]
2003. Teatro breve por cinco. Obras de teatro [Five Brief Plays/Drama]
2002. Medios de comunicación. 10 enfoques. Ensayos sobre los Medios. [Ten Approaches to Media/Essay]
2001. Doce ventanas al Tango. Ensayo sobre El Tango: historia, autores e intérpretes. [Twelve Windows to Tango/Essay on tango history, songwriters, and singers]
2000. Diez lecturas de Arlt. Ensayo sobre algún aspecto de la obra y la vida de Roberto Arlt. [Ten Approaches to Arlt/Essays on Roberto Arlt, his life and oeuvre]
1999. Borges en diez miradas. Ensayo sobre algún aspecto de la obra y la vida de Jorge Luis Borges. [Ten Perspectives on Borges/Essays on Jorge Luis Borges, his life and oeuvre]
In reference to the Fundación ExportAr Award, Alberto Hughetti affirmed: “I must emphasize that this award is an important achievement for The Book Foundation and, particularly, for the Committee of Professionals. We feel extremely proud of this recognition. I would like to thank Fundación ExportAr for their support every year with the organization of reverse missions and roundtables during the International Book Fair. Our publishing industry has been able to access new international markets and place our culture and authors worldwide”. Regarding plans for 2012, Hughetti said that “we trust we will improve with the support of Fundación ExportAr, so we can reach those markets that show a lack of Argentine books. It is an immense challenge but we have the resources to face it. We will keep growing and reaching new markets”.
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ExportAr Awards 2011 | GEMACO/Building Materials Export Group Entrevista | Dra. Lía Fabiola Bianco
“Now, we are making our way into African markets” José Sabaliauskas, Coordinator of the Building Materials Export Group/ GEMACO, affirmed that the award received “is a clear recognition of the hard work done by the group”. Fundación ExportAr granted GEMACO a prize under the category “Associativism for Export”. This group has created a promotional centre in Lithuania and they are planning to open up another one in Africa in 2012 as they have potential commercial partners in Nigeria and Angola.
How was GEMACO born? Our export group is formed by companies of different sizes and structures, so it was very hard to work together at the beginning. We constantly need to remind ourselves that we are a team.
What sort of activities have you done with the support of Fundación ExportAr? The most important activity we have done as an Export Group is participate in International Building Material Fairs in Russia, Lithuania, and Ukraine. The support of Fundación ExportAr was essential to access these trade venues. We also receive commercial information regarding new sales points and how to access them. It is so important to have a clear knowledge of all things involved in the process of accessing a new market. We must know prices, the role of our local competition, the characteristics of each potential market and its buyers, their way of doing things, and their cultural understanding of trading. Fundación ExportAr has organized reverse commercial missions, bringing potential buyers for our Export Group. It has also supported our participation in BATIMAT 2010 (International Building Exhibition) held in Buenos Aires. Our group also has a showroom and a promotional centre in the City of Kaunas, Lithuania, through which we reach Eastern Europe and Asia. We are able to show all our products and there is a sales team in charge of the daily promotion of GEMACO abroad.
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What results have you achieved as a group and with your permanent office in Lithuania? We have had very good results. For example, thanks to our promotional centre, in 2009 we sent a shipment from Buenos Aires to Klaipeda port, and onto Kazakhstan. In fact, we have sent 80 shipments since the creation of this group. We believe that our ‘know how’ will be useful to other export groups or SMEs interested in accessing those markets. In general terms, during 2010 GEMACO obtained the highest export volume when compared to other groups from the Program of Export Groups (from Fundación ExportAr and Standard Bank Foundation).
What did the award mean to your group? This prize is a clear recognition of the hard work done by the group throughout these years. We have to remember that the building industry was badly affected by the international economic crisis. We had to find alternative ways to keep us in our markets and, even, access new ones.
Which are your short-term goals? We want to create a new promotional centre in Africa, mirroring what we are doing in Lithuania. We are closing negotiations with commercial partners in Nigeria and Angola, which is a very important achievement.
ExportAr Awards 2011 | Giorgi S.A.
Argentine Machines Sowing Abroad GIORGI S.A., located in the Province of Santa Fe, received the ExportAr Award for “Incorporating Innovations and/or Added Value to Products for Export”. This company, founded in the early 1930s, works every day to build modern planting and seeding machines (sowing machines) which are on the cutting edge of agricultural technology. After receiving the prize from hands of Chancellor Héctor Timerman, Hugo Giorgi admitted that “it is a very great honor for me to receive this distinction”. With great emotion after receiving the award, the President of GIORGI S.A. explained to his partners and employees that it was the first award his company has ever received in almost 54 years of existence. He really wanted to share this recognition everyone who worked at his company. He deeply thanked Fundación ExportAr for granting this prize to an SME from a province (Santa Fe). He further insisted on the importance of participating in promotional events organized by Fundación ExportAr in Argentina or abroad, in order to take advantage of all the resources and tools available for those companies eager to export their products. Finally, he highlighted that Fundación ExportAr played a key role in the successful outcome of several foreign trade enterprises in the past years. In the 1930s, Santos and Quinto Giorgi started repairing agricultural equipment in Fuentes (Province of Santa Fe). Most of these machines were from abroad and in terrible condition. They also developed different ploughs for existing sowing devices. On April 29, 1958, they founded GIORGI & CO S.R.L., which started as a small family venture to produce agricultural machines and tools. In 1972, it became GIORGI S.A. and, since 2002, Hugo Héctor Giorgi has been the Chairman of the Board and President of the company.
In the beginning, they made hoeing machines for corn; later they produced the first Grain Drills or Planter for coarse grain. In the 1970s, they started making their first Seed Drills and Disc Harrows. In 1970 when the era of vertical farming started, they also built the Chisel Plough to replace the use of plowshares. Later on, they launched the Field Cultivator to complete tillage operations and the seedbed. A few years later, they developed the first Grain Drill for transport endwise (longitudinal), which allowed the export of these machines to Uruguay and Bolivia. In 1985 they made the first totally articulated Disc Harrows, with retractable discs for a better performance and transportation (3 meters wide). They also designed the first Grain Drills with a two/three-part chassis that replaced the Tandem Grain Drill. An important milestone in the history of the company was the partnership agreement between GIORGI and Atheliers Ribouleau (from France) to produce the first Pneumatic Grain Drill GIORGIMONOSEM in 1995. Since the 1980s, the tillage system or no plowing has been used in the sowing activity. It is worth mentioning that in 1998 GIORGI S.A. received the Zero Tillage National Championship Award.
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ExportAr Awards 2011 | Giorgi S.A.
This brought huge enthusiasm and in 2000 they developed the first No Till Planter/Seed Drill, called model D-10 for wheat and other grass seeds.
GIORGI entered the international market in 2005 through Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Russia, and Romania) and became the company that promoted the tillage system in that region.
In 2003, GIORGI offered the first and largest No Till Grain Drill with 39 rows (at 52.5 cm row spaces). By mid 2004, they developed a planter mounted on four modules, which aimed to reduce soil compaction.
In 2010, GIORGI broke its own record with the PRECISA 8000 with 44 rows (at 52.5 cm row spaces).
In 2005, GIORGI launched the planter “PRECISA 8000” with 40 rows (at 52.5 cm row spaces). In June 2006, two new designs appeared with rows at reduced row spaces and a multipurpose row furrower: • “PRECISA 52/40” combines row spaces at 52.5 cm, 40 cm, and 20 cm. •“PRECISA 70/35” combines row spaces at 70 cm, 35 cm, and 17.7 cm. In August 2006, the new “D-10 TOTAL” appeared as a seed drill with additional front blades.
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Nowadays, the company has more than 100 full-time employees and another 50 part-time employees from small manufacturing centers in the area. To this day, GIORGI places no-tilt systems and technology locally and around the world. With more than 30 years of experience, its machines work the soil of several different countries. GIORGI exports knowledge and technology for sowing and obtaining the best harvests at low cost and with low environmental impact.
Fundación ExportAr Agreement
SENASA at International Exhibitions The National Service of Agrifood Health and Quality (Senasa) takes part in different national and international exhibitions, in order to give advice to exporters and importers of agrifood on phytosanitary requirements that the Argentine Republic and buyer countries of said products demand. Under the agreement between Fundación ExportAr and Senasa, a decentralized organization of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries of the nation, during 2011 Senasa will participate in different fairs and exhibitions at national and international levels, to give advice to agrifood exporters and importers about phytosanitary requirements that the Argentine Republic and buyer countries demand of said products. It is very common for the Senasa to show its activities in different national fairs. With this agreement the authorities of this organization have decided to widen their scope and participate in well-known international exhibitions related to the agrifood industry and contribute to the development of the international trade for these products. The purpose of this agreement between the two organizations is to implement the necessary means and actions to reach mutual technical complementation and carry out in a coordinated way projects in areas of mutual interest, working in cooperation through different activities. In this regard, the Senasa and Fundación ExportAr jointly assist small and medium agrifood exporters abroad, as well as boosting imports, in matters related to quality and health in agrifood. This joint work permits collaboration in the design of the necessary conditions for the development of actions towards the fulfillment of the export policies set forth by the national government. Thus the Senasa widens its regional scope by participating in these international meetings, adapting and accompanying its main goal that is to strengthen the role of the state on animal and vegetable health, food safety and environment care. SENASA – Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria/National Service of Agrifood Health and Quality
News 39News
For further information: www.senasa.gov.ar 0800-999-2386
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Report of Activities 2011
2011
A Busy Year Full of Activities 3,980 companies participated in 127 trade promotional events organized by Fundación ExportAr in 2011 Fundación ExportAr, as a management institution working within the strategic guidelines of the Argentine National Government, follows the directives issued by its Administrative Board. Thus, throughout 2011, several actions by Fundación ExportAr were carried out, working in a coordinated fashion with national ministries, promotion agencies, national, provincial, and municipal governments, as well as chambers and related institutions Almost 4,000 Argentine companies participated in 76 International Fairs worldwide, attended 26 International Business Rounds, and/ or got engaged in 25 promotional service activities. Fundación ExportAr directly answered a great number of technical inquiries and more than 1,400 companies received support on key issues related to foreign trade. Among them, it is worth mentioning that they have helped the search for market opportunities; the analysis of potential
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businesses and buyers abroad; the identification of customers and communications; the international business training sessions (for companies); the consulting services for accessing new markets; and the technical support granted during the export process (from initial contact to deal closing). At the same time, Fundación ExportAr provided support and assistance to 465 companies which are members of 67 Export Groups. Also, under the intensive Federal Program, 1,367 entrepreneurs from around the whole country received training during 38 seminars, remaining in close contact by way of the renewed website of Fundación ExportAr, www.exportar.org.ar. In the following pages, there are details of the main promotional activities and services provided by Fundación ExportAr to exporters during 2011.
International Fairs Among the different venues for international promotion, Fairs hold a privileged position due to the fact that they promote building a network between exporters and potential customers.
In fact, 1,458 companies participated in these stands, offering their products and services, while meeting potential buyers and foreign distributors in person.
The participation of Argentine companies in International Fairs and Exhibitions is one of the most efficient tools to strengthen competitiveness and boost exports.
All of these 76 International Fairs represent an increase of 15 percent participation compared to 2010, and of 24.6 percent to 2007.
All of these promotional activities carried out in Fairs are jointly organized by the public and private sectors. In fact, they are part of a commercial strategy tended to support Argentine products and services abroad.
In reference to the participation of companies in these Fairs, the1,458 companies that participate in 2010 show an increase of 12 percent compared to the year before, and of 16.5 percent to 2007.
During 2011, Fundaci贸n ExportAr set up the Argentine Pavilion for the Guadalajara International Book Fair and also set up 76 stands in International Fairs.
International Fairs
80
Companies Participating in International Fairs
70
30
60
25
50
20
40
15
30
10
20
5
10
0
0 2007 Year Company
2008
2009
2010
2007
2011
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
61
67
64
66
76
Year Company
2007 750
2008 2008 1074
2009 2009 809
2010
2011
2010
2011
851
2339
News
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INTERNATIONAL FAIRS IN 2011 Date Name
Sector
Country
13/01/11
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR
ARTS & ANTIQUES
USA
16/01/11
WINTER FANCY FOOD
GOURMET FOOD
USA
22/01/11 MIDEM
MUSIC
France
30/01/11 ISM
CONFECTIONERY
Germany
02/02/11
PAPUDO INTERNATIONAL FAIR
MULTISECTORIAL
Chile
07/02/11
PRODEXPO
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Russia
09/02/11
FRUIT LOGISTICA
FRUITS & VEGETABLES
Germany
16/02/11
BIOFACH
ORGANIC PRODUCTS
Germany
27/02/11
GULFOOD
FOOD
United Arab Emirates
01/03/11 CEBIT
IT
Germany
01/03/11 FOODEX
FOOD
Japan
06/03/11 PDAC
MINERY
Canada
09/03/11
EXPOANTAD
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Mexico
11/03/11
EXPO WEST
ORGANIC PRODUCTS
USA
12/03/11
EQUITANA
HORSES & RELATED INDUSTRIES
Germany
13/03/11
IFE LONDRES
FOOD & BEVERAGES
UK
COSMETICS
Italy
18/03/11 COSMOPROF 20/03/11
BOSTON SEA FOOD
FISHERY
USA
22/03/11
IDS
DENTAL
Germany
MULTISECTORIAL
Panama
23/03/11 EXPOCOMER
42
27/03/11
PROWEIN
WINES
Germany
12/04/11
AUTOMEC
AUTOPARTS
Brazil
12/04/11
LATIN AMERICA AERO & DEFENCE/LAAD
AEROSPACE; IND. MANUFACTURE
Brazil
25/04/11
SEOUL FOOD
FOOD
South Korea
28/04/11
FEICOBOL
MULTISECTORIAL
Bolivia
09/05/11
APAS
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Brazil
11/05/11
HOFEX
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Hong Kong
11/05/11
SITDEF
NAVAL / AEROSPACE
Peru
11/05/11
EXPOLIVA
VEGETABLE OIL / FOOD
Spain
11/05/11
VI FERIA INTEGRAL DE LA MUJER
MULTISECTORIAL
Bolivia
12/05/11
INTERPACK
PACKAGING
Germany
17/05/11
DISTIL
BEVERAGES
UK
17/05/11
NAMPO HARVEST DAY
AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY
South Africa
18/05/11
SIAL CHINA
FOOD & BEVERAGES
China
23/05/11
FEIMAFE
MACHINE TOOLS
Brazil
24/05/11
HOSPITALAR
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
Brazil
29/05/11
NAFSA
EDUCATION
Canada
02/06/11
AGROEXPO
AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY
Ukraine
13/06/11
SNACKEX
FOOD
Spain
22/06/11
FOOD TAIPEI
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Taiwan
News
10/07/11
SUMMER FANCY FOOD
GOURMET FOOD
USA
02/08/11
INTERNATIONAL FOOTWEAR & LEATHER SHOW
FOOTWEAR & LEATHER
Colombia
10/08/11
FIME
MEDICAL
USA
30/08/11
FERIA INTERNACIONAL ABASTUR
HOSPITALITY & GASTRONOMY
Mexico
01/09/11
BIENAL DO LIVRO
BOOKS
Brazil
07/09/11
EXPOPRADO
MULTISECTORIAL
Uruguay
07/09/11
ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA
FRUITS & VEGETABLES
Hong Kong
13/09/11
WORLD FOOD MOSCU
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Russia
13/09/11
EAIE
EDUCATION
Denmark
16/09/11
EXPOCRUZ
MULTISECTORIAL
Bolivia
28/09/11
EXPOALIMENTARIA PERU
FOOD
Peru
08/10/11
ANUGA
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Germany
11/10/11
EQUIPAUTO
AUTOPARTS
France
12/10/11
FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR
BOOKS
Germany
14/10/11
PMA
FRUITS & VEGETABLES
USA
15/10/11
FERIA DE CANTON - 1ERA ETAPA
MULTISECTORIAL
China
15/10/11
CHINA EDUCATION EXPO
EDUCATION
China
18/10/11
INTERLIFT
ELEVATORS
Germany
18/10/11
MERCOPAR
SUBCONTRACTING & INDUSTRY
Brazil
25/10/11
WORLD FOOD UKRAINE
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Ukraine
25/10/11
CPHI
PHARMACEUTICAL
Germany
31/10/11
FERIA INTERNACIONAL DE LA HABANA
MULTISECTORIAL
Cuba
03/11/11
FIERACAVALLI
HORSES & RELATED INDUSTRIES
Italy
08/11/11
KOSHERFEST
FOOD
USA
08/11/11
ANDINA PACK
PACKAGING
Colombia
13/11/11
AGRITECHNICA
AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY
Germany
14/11/11
AMERICA FOOD & BEVERAGE
FOOD & BEVERAGES
USA
16/11/11
FOOD & HOTEL CHINA
FOOD & BEVERAGES
China
21/11/11
SIAL MIDDLE EAST
FOOD & BEVERAGES
United Arab Emirates
26/11/11
FERIA DEL LIBRO DE GUADALAJARA
BOOKS
Mexico
01/12/11
24 PERFORMANCE RACING INDUSTRY 2011
MOTOR RACING
USA
03/12/11
16º L´ARTIGIANO IN FIERA
HANDICRAFTS
Italy
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International Business Rounds The International Business Rounds seek to provide Argentine companies the opportunity to meet potential foreign buyers in our territory. These Rounds invite potential buyers of Argentine local products and services to meet directly with providers. They follow a clear, organized agenda that allows buyers to contact local companies who can meet their demands. In fact, these Business Rounds are challenging for the organizer: they need to contact the most important buyers of specific foreign markets (based on the commercial information available) as well as their local counterpart, the Argentine producers and manufacturers.
In this context, Fundaci贸n ExportAr organized 26 Business Rounds where 252 foreign buyers met 2,339 local manufacturers and entrepreneurs. All of these 2011 meetings show an increase of 4 percent compared to the year before, and 44 percent compared to 2007. In reference to the participation of companies in these Rounds, those 2,339 companies that attended the 26 Business Rounds held in 2011 meant an increase of 175 percent compared to the year before, and of 212 percent to 2007. It is worth mentioning that, in June 2011, the Business Round of the Argentine Cultural Industries Market (MICA) was held in Buenos Aires and 1,350 local producers participated in this event.
This methodology and strategy for promoting Argentine exports allow small and medium size companies (SMEs) to contact potential buyers, to have access to institutional support, and to save resources.
30
International Rounds Organized
25
2500
20
2000
15
1500
10
1000
5
500
0
0
2007
44
M I C A
2008
2009
2010
2011
2007
Year
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Year
Company
750
1074
809
851
2339
Company
News
2008
2009
2010
2011
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
18
22
25
25
26
Report of Activities 2011
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUNDS ORGANIZED IN 2011 Date Name Sector 23/02/11 6a RONDA INTERNACIONAL DE NEGOCIOS DE MODA
Footwear, Leather, Clothing,
Accessories & Design
25/02/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF FOOD
Food & Beverages
02/03/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY
Agricultural Machinery
28/03/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF MACHINERY AND RELATED TOOLS
Machinery & Tools
13/04/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF FOOD AND FOOD TECHNOLOGY
Food & Food Technology
19/04/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF BOOKS
Books
11/05/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF DAIRY PRODUCTS
Dairy
19/05/11
ART BUSINESS CENTER
Arts & Antiques
23/05/11
7째 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF DESIGN
Footwear, Leather, Clothing,
Accessories & Design
01/06/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF BUYERS FROM CONSTRUCTION
Building Materials
AND BUILDING MATERIALS
02/06/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF CULTURAL INDUSTRIES
Music, Books, Audiovisual,
Multimedia
06/07/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF SECURITY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Security
14/07/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF FOOD
Food & Beverages
24/07/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF FOOTWEAR
Footwear
31/08/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF FOOD
Food & Beverages
31/08/11
4째 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF ARTS &
Arts & Antiques
ART MEETING CENTER-EXPOTRASTIENDAS
01/09/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND EXPO RURAL
Food & Beverages
07/09/11
1째 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF OLIVE OIL
Vegetal Oil
14/09/11
7째 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF WINE BUYERS
Wine
21/09/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND APIMONDIA
Beekeeping
04/10/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY
Agricultural Machinery
08/11/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF ELECTRO-LIGHTING
Electronics & Lighting
29/11/11
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ROUND OF ANIMATION
Audiovisuals & Multimedia News
45
Promotion of Services During the last few years, the Promotion of Services area has been highly dynamic. From 2003 to 2010, the export of services increased by 190 percent. The most required services were in the information technology sector (IT) which increased by 613 percent –from 166 million dollars in 2003 to 1.1 billion in 2010. Business services followed the same pattern: an increase of 306 percent with revenue from 953 million dollars in 2003 to 3.8 billion in 2010. All in all, Argentine Export of Services has increased by 68 percent, with more than 13 billion dollars gained in 2010. The global market for the Export of Services is showing a historical growth and Argentina has a share of 20 percent in the global market (an increase of 98 percent from 2003 to 2010). Argentina has almost doubled its participation in this market with an increase of 190 percent, a high figure compared to the increase of 98 percent in global sales.
Within this favorable international and local framework, ExportAr has been steadily promoting services abroad; and, in 2011, the Department of Service Export Promotion was set up. Its main goal is to develop new strategies to assist companies in the service sector. Globalization has played a key role in the growth and expansion of the service industry. Exporting services is essential to meet the developmental targets and benchmarks of each country within the global market. It also has a social role, for it demands competent professionals in human resource departments. Under the Service Promotion Program, Fundación ExportAr organized 25 events for several industrial sectors: design, education, art, culture, and software among others. 223 companies focused on exporting their services participated in these events.
Several factors have caused this growth: public policies that promote services, competent human resource professionals, a developed communication network, and accessible time zones for main countries in need of these services. Fundación ExportAr constantly performs revision analysis studies on exports of goods and services to prepare action plans for the promotion of services.
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-Outsourcing -Franchising -Tourism & Health -Education -Arts
-Design -Software -Animation -Audiovisual -Advertising
Report of Activities 2011
COMMERCIAL MISSIONS AND SERVICE PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES-2011 Date Name
Sector
Country
13/02/11
3 GSMA- MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS
IT
Spain
14/02/11
DESSERT PALM POLO CLUB-CARTIER DUCBAI CUP
FOOD & BEVERAGES
United Arab Emirates
28/03/11
BUENOS AIRES ALTA MODA
FASHION
Argentina
04/04/11
MIPTV CANNES
AUDIOVISUAL & MULTIMEDIA
France
14/04/11
FORO OUTSOURCE 2 LAC LATINOAMERICANO
SERVICES
Uruguay
02/05/11
CONGRESO TURISMO SALUD
HEALTH
Costa Rica
23/05/11
WORKSHOP EDUCATIVO
EDUCATION
USA
31/05/11
REPUBLICA DOMINICANA FASHION WEEK
FACION
Dominican Republic
06/06/11
FESTIVAL DE ANIMACION-ANNECY
AUDIOVISUAL & ANIMATION
France
06/06/11
PINTA LONDRES
ARTS & ANTIQUES
UK
16/06/11
IDTGV PROMOTION
FOOD
France
17/06/11
6째 WORLD HEALTH TOURISM CONGRESS
HEALTH SERVICES
Spain
28/06/11
WORLD BPO/ITO FORUM
IT
USA
26/07/11
COLOMBIA MODA 2011
FASHION
Colombia
12/09/11
GARTNER OUTSOURCING
IT
USA
19/09/11
WORKSHOP EDUCATIVO
EDUCATION
Netherlands
26/09/11
DESFILE EN PARIS-2째 EDITIONS
FASHION
France
11/10/11
WORKSHOP EDUCATIVO
EDUCATION
China
25/10/11
CONTRESO TURISMO SALUD
HEALTH
USA
29/11/11
POLLUTEC HORIZONS
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
France
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Training Fundación ExportAr organizes training sessions, courses, and seminars for individuals and/or companies –particularly MSEsinterested in doing business abroad. All of these activities aim to help those Argentine entrepreneurs who are not yet exporting their products or those who need a better understanding of specific and particular situations within the business world. Under this Training Program and in order to identify what needs to be addressed, Fundación ExportAr works jointly with local, provincial, and national authorities, as well as with chambers and related institutions. Thus, it offers tools and provides advice and assistance in order to help entrepreneurs make efficient international business transactions. During 2011, 38 training courses or seminars took place in Argentina with 1,367 participants in attendance.
FEDERAL TRAINING PROGRAM 37 training seminars 1,367 participants (individuals & companies)
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Report of Activities 2011
Export Group Program The purpose of the Export Group Program 窶田oordinated and organized by Fundaciﾃｳn ExportAr and Standard Bank Foundationis to assist MSEs in their efforts to access foreign markets. These Export Groups are formed by producers or manufacturers of similar or complementary products who wish to actively participate in international trade. Thus, they are able to increase the amount of sales while reducing the costs of the export process. The Export Group Program started in 1998. Today, there is a high number of positive results on the balances of most of SMEs that belong to these Export Groups.
Companies Members of Export Groups
67 Export Groups
500 450
465 Companies Involved
400 350
15 New Export Groups in 2011
300 250 200
In reference to the participation of companies in this program, the 465 companies that belong to 67 Export Groups in 2011 meant an increase of 6 percent compared to the year before, and of 34 percent compared to 2007.
150 100 50 0 2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Year
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Company
348
389
405
439
465
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Published Materials and Commercial Information As Fundación ExportAr promotes export trading, it carries out several surveys in order to obtain data and better the performance of those companies involved in foreign business. The research done by each team on a wide range of important topics is later organized in reports or documents available for exporters; in fact, they have become a valuable tool for those who are planning strategic commercial businesses. Fundación ExportAr has published several reports and documents for entrepreneurs on trade promotional activities. This material offers accurate and well-researched data on export processes and international business policies.
The commercial information available describes the types of exports, the process to do so (the “know how”), and the places to export to. This data helps to reduce trade risks and coordinates the foreign demands with the local supply of products and services traded. In order to provide entrepreneurs with the right answers and solutions to their problems, Fundación ExportAr directly responds to any enquiry or technical question with regard to export processes.
1,402 Technical Inquiries Received
Sectors
Type of Inquiries
Food
33% 24%
14% 40%
Beverages
33%
Textiles
Market Profiles 10%
Export Statistics
Leather, Skins, and Hides Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals 7% 4%
6% 5%
50
News
5%
15%
Commercial Information
11%
Machines, Devices Other
List of Importers
14% 12%
Consulting Other
International Fairs International Business Rounds Trips & Business Meetings Commercial Information Export Groups Training
www.exportar.org.ar News
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Dossier
Germany
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Dossier Germany
Germany has become the European economic center and the ideal place for doing business due to its geographic location, its communication networks, its continuous economic growth, and its long tradition in Fairs.
1. What is the importance of Germany? Germany has a population of 82 million inhabitants with a nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of 40,521 dollars. It has a dynamic economy just as in any other highly developed country. The service sector contributes around 72% of the total GDP through private and public services, financial activities and tourism. Germany was a founding member of the European Community which became the European Union (EU) in 1993 with the EURO as its common currency. Thus, Germany consolidated its privileged position in the international commerce; and in terms of economic development, it is considered the world’s fourth largest economy and the largest economy within Europe. The main economical centers are in the Ruhr region, which used to be a metallurgic area and developed later into a center for cuttingedge technology and the service industry: the Munich-Stuttgart region with the automotive industries; the Rhine-Neckar with chemicals; the city of Frankfurt as a financial center; and Cologne and Hamburg (port, location of the Airbus Factory).1 Germany is the world’s second exporter of goods and services after China. It offers products with high added value, such as equipment and machinery, vehicles, chemical products, or home appliances. In reality, the key factor of this productive force lies within the high rates of private and public investment in productive sectors. En reference to foreign trade, Germany is the world’s third importer and, in 2010, accounted for 7.4 % of global merchandise imports (more than 1 billion dollars). Germany’s main foreign trade partners are European Union countries (63 % of total exports and 58% of imports), as well as USA, China, Russia, and Japan. Among its 20 top trading partners, 12 countries are members of European Union. Germany has 60.3% share of the EU exports and 57% of its imports.
1. Source: Argentine Embassy in Germany, “Doing Business in Germany”. www.argentinatradenet.gov.ar
The most important trading partners are France (9.2%), Netherlands (7.6%), USA (6.3%), China (6.2%), Italy (6.1%), UK (5.8%), Austria (5.2%), Belgium (4.8%), Switzerland (4.3%), and Poland (3.7%).2
2. Logistics and Transportation are also relevant Germany is one of the world’s leading economies and has become a preferred destination for international business and trade due to its highly developed infrastructure and transportation, both of which have significant logistic advantages.
Ground Transportation The volume of traffic in Germany, especially goods transportation, is at a very high level due to its central location in Europe. Germany has more than 12,700 km of highways which are extensively used. Local one-way roads are also well-maintained, with clear traffic signs. The rail network is also very efficient and more executives prefer train travel for long-distance trips. Today, Germany has a railway network of 41,000 km; and 20,000 km are electrified. There are 1,800 km of high-speed lines (with a service speed of 330 km/h). This railway system enables the circulation of 630 trains that connect more than 250 cities.3
Maritime Transportation Ports and harbors concentrate most of the foreign trade, nearly its 97%. The main ports are Hamburg, Bremen, Bremenhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Lübeck, and Rostock. The waterway network in Germany comprises about 6,700 km of inland waterways and it satisfies the demand for transport service at low costs. In fact, 60% of inland water transport through the Rhine (between Basel and Rotterdam) relates to foreign trade.4
2. Source: Argentine Embassy in Germany, “Doing Business in Germany”. www.argentinatradenet.gov.ar 3. Source: ICEX, “Guía de negocios”. www.icex.es 4. Source: ICEX, “Guía de negocios”. www.icex.es
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3. Why choosing Germany? Germany is the seventh largest market for Argentine exports so it is highly appealing for our foreign business. The exports to the German market were more than 2 billion dollars in 2010. Throughout the last ten years (2001-2011), our sales have increased almost 400%. Considering Argentine imports from Germany, there has also been an increased of the amount of products exchanged, with purchases for more than 3 billion dollars in 2010. As a result, in the last decade, foreign trade between Germany and Argentina has significantly grown and reached historic highs of more than 5.5 billion dollars.
Balance of Trade: Argentina-Germany t (dollars in millions) Balance of Trade
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Exports
623 595 464 631
Imports
1,409 1,262 1,052 529 736 1,083 1,286 1,470 2,050 2,722 1,937 3,173
Total Trade
2,032 1,857 1,516 1,160 1,504 1,810
Total
-786 -667 -588 102 32 -355 -415 -345 -721 -210 113 -825
768 727
870 1,125 1,328 2,511 2,049 2,347 2,156 2,595 3,378 5,234
Source: Fundaci贸n ExportAr (based on data from www.info-just.com)
Main Exports to Germany (dollars in thousands) Products
Amount Share
Agricultural Fodder
8,777,284
13.01%
Motor Vehicle Parts
7,965,278
11.8%
Fruits & Oilseeds
5,333,458
7.9%
Fats and Oils
5,188,911
7.7%
Cereals
4,618,418 6.8%
Chemical Products
4,526,052
Source: Fundaci贸n ExportAr (based on data from www.info-just.com)
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6.7%
3,985 5,520
Dossier Germany 4. A long tradition organizing Trade Fairs International Fairs are a key promotional venue for exports and a major economic factor. Germany is the leading organizer of the world’s most important Trade Fairs. In fact, two-thirds of the world’s flagship Trade Fairs take place in its territory each year. The Hannover Fair is the biggest and most important industrial fair in the world today. Frankfurt has the International Book Fair, the International Trade Fair for Optical Technologies, and the International Automobile Exhibition (IAA). Five out of the top ten international automobile companies in the world are from Germany. This German tradition started in the Middle Ages as the country was a unique trading area between Russia, Spain, and France. Germany has become the European economic centre and the ideal place for doing business due to its geographic location, its communication networks, its continuous economic growth, and its long tradition in Fairs.
As a result, Germany organizes more than a hundred international fairs in locations worldwide. Big companies that organize fairs in different locations, such as Deutsche Messe AG and Messe Frankfurt, have opened offices in Asia, other European countries, and the Americas. They want to increase the number of foreign visitors to local fairs as well as the number of events held abroad. A good example of these companies is Messe Frankfurt, which has been able to expand its outreach by opening offices in international locations. This global network of subsidiaries, offices, and international sales partners keep a permanent contact with exhibitors, visitors, press representatives, and productive sectors in order to assess their needs and organize events for their products. In short, all of the above confirms the fact that Germany’s local and international Trade Fairs are the result of a long standing tradition, nurtured in proven experience and important investments in this sector.
Germany, indeed, has a well-known reputation for organizing fairs in its territory and abroad. Outstanding infrastructure, reliable and professional partners, and high-quality service are factors in its success as a premier business travel destination and fair organizer.
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Fundaci贸n ExportAr participates in several Trade Fairs held in Germany. The most important of these are the following:
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Name
Sector
Date
IISM
CONFECTIONERY 30/01/11
FRUIT LOGISTICA
FRUITS & VEGETABLES
09/02/11
BIOFACH
ORGANIC PRODUCTS
16/02/11
CEBIT IT
01/03/11
EQUITANA
HORSES & RELATED INDUSTRIES
12/03/11
PROWEIN
WINES
27/03/11
INTERPACK
PACKAGING
12/05/11
ANUGA
FOOD & BEVERAGES
08/10/11
FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR
BOOKS
12/10/11
INTERLIFT ELEVATORS
18/10/11
AGRITECHNICA
13/11/11
AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY
Dossier Germany
5. Final Remarks Germany’s highly developed economy makes the country the world’s fifth largest economy and the leading one in Europe. In fact, it has the world’s fifth highest GDP, nearly 3 trillion dollars. Germany is the world’s second largest exporter after China and it trades high added-value products, like machineries, vehicles, chemical products, and home appliances. The German industry has an excellent reputation as they represent innovation and cutting-edge technology on vehicles, machines, and chemicals. They continuously generate a trade surplus while attracting high foreign direct investments. The bilateral trade between Argentina and Germany showed an increase of 38.5% between 2009 and 2010, with records highs of 5.5 billion dollars due to both exports and imports. A key aspect of this bilateral trade is the promotion of products and services in Trade Fairs, which are essential to gain worldwide recognition and achieve greater visibility. Germany has a leading role in the organization of these international venues in its territory and abroad. This explains why two-thirds of the world’s leading international Trade Fairs take place in Germany.
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Interview | Natalia Portas, Messe Frankfurt Argentina
Fairs are ideal places for buyers and sellers Natalia Portas talks about the role of Germany and of International Fairs in facilitating trade. At the same time, she gives SMEs some tips on how to prepare for these events. What is the role of Trade Fairs on an international scale?
What is the role of Messe Frankfurt on these Trade Fairs?
Their purpose is to open new markets and conduct business. Trade Fairs enable buyers and sellers to meet face-to-face. You can receive personalized assistance, you can improve your commercial network, and you can get information on new products from each industry.
Messe Frankfurt owns the exhibition grounds in the city of Frankfurt, so the company organizes more than 36 events and it also rents the venue for other conventions, exhibitions, and shows. In its worldwide locations, Messe Frankfurt organizes 87 Trade Fairs, apart from several conventions and special events. The shares of the holding company are held by the two public shareholders: the City of Frankfurt (60%) and the Federal State of Hesse (40%).
Hundreds of products and services are offered to potential buyers during the fairs. Trade Fairs started in Frankfurt 800 years ago and they still are a major economic force.
Germany is a leader in the organization of the world’s most important Trade Fairs. Why are these venues so important to access the German market? Well, all the Trade Fairs held in Germany are not just for accessing the German market but also the rest of the world. In fact, being international is the key. The ground and air transportation system is efficient and the geographical location is central, all of which makes of Germany a strong economic hub of international business. The country has developed infrastructure for hosting Trade Fairs. The Messe Frankfurt exhibition grounds have their own metro station which connects to several lines, and they are located close to the main train station. Transportation to the events is free and several hotels are nearby. Most of German Trade Fair cities, particularly Frankfurt, are ready for visitors and exhibitors at any time of the year.
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What tips would you give to a company that wishes to participate in a German Trade Fair? You first need to inform yourself on third party trademarks and logos. Germany has strict control procedures to prevent counterfeit products or the unauthorized use of third party trademarks. Professional German customs officers at the airports monitor the products and decide upon logos. For example, motor vehicle part providers are not allowed to use the logos of companies for which they produce the parts. To avoid trouble, it is important to gather all necessary information before travelling. I would also suggest booking your lodging in advance. It is impossible to find hotels with only 3 months in advance for some important events, such as Automechanika, Light+Building, or ISH.
Dossier Germany
Frankfurt and all main Trade Fairs cities are well connected and public ground transportation is excellent. It can actually be cheaper to find lodging in a small nearby city or town, within 20 minutes distance to the event venue.
What challenges can SMEs face when participating in German Trade Fairs? I believe that a company should follow a clear plan and assess what needs to be done before and after the event. Participating in a Trade Fair in Germany, or elsewhere abroad, is time consuming and requires employees to be focused on the task. It is hard for some SMEs to organize these events because they do not have so many employees or specific departments in charge of promotional events. Procrastination works against their best intentions. If you invest in these events, you need to take ownership of it and maximize the trade show potential. For example, it is important to build a database with all the stand visitors, send an e-mail thanking them for the interest shown in your products or services, remind visitors of your availability to provide information, have material and brochures available in English, and answer promptly to any order placed on your products.
Additional Information on Messe Frankfurt With 448.3 million Euros in registered sales in 2010 and more than 1,600 active employees worldwide, Messe Frankfurt is the world largest organizer of professional fairs that has his own trade centre. The group consists of a global network of 28 subsidiaries, 5 branch offices, and 52 sales partners worldwide. Messe Frankfurt is present in more than 150 countries and their events are carried out in more than 30 regions worldwide. In 2010, Messe Frankfurt organized a total of 87 technical fairs of which more than half took place outside Germany. Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds, featuring 578,000 m2, are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Centre. The holding shares belong to the partners of the company: The City of Frankfurt (60%) and the Federal State of Hesse (40%). For more information, visit www.messefrankfurt.com
Additional Information on Messe Frankfurt Argentina Messe Frankfurt Argentina started back in 1990 when Indexport S.A. was a service company specialized in accessing markets. In 2003, the alliance between both companies was formalized and Indexport S.A. became the Messe Frankfurt subsidiary. Since then, Messe Frankfurt Argentina has been an icon in the organization of events throughout Latin America. Its goal is to foster business venues for the promotion of regional markets, the increasing of the internal market, and the development of technologies in each sector. Automechanika Argentina, BIEL Light+Building Buenos Aires, ExpoFerretera, Intersec Buenos Aires, Seguriexpo Buenos Aires, and Tecno Fidta gather the most relevant buyers, exhibitors, and celebrities of each industry sector. For more information, visit www.argentina.messefrankfurt.com News
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Interview | Erika Enrietti, Argentine-German Chamber of Commerce
International German Fair offers exhibitors and visitors a global reach and international visibility, essential elements for trading worldwide Eirka Enrietti, Head of the Deparment of Fairs and Trade Shows from the Argentine-German Chamber, talks about the commercial opportunities for Argentine companies during German or European International Fairs.
What is the role of Trade Fairs on an international scale? Germany is a leader in the organization of the world’s most important Trade Fairs. Why are these venues so Trade Fairs are global marketing and communication tools because important to access the German market? they enable face-to-face contact between buyers and sellers. These fairs are important platforms for the exhibition of products and services; and for reaching a great number of potential buyers in a short period of time.
Apart from the business benefits and the exchange of experiences and information, Trade Fairs have additional activities, such as specialized conferences or international symposiums. Scientific, political, and economy experts share their new findings and research during these events. During the fair press conferences, new trends are shown and new products are launched. Many press agencies and reporters work hard to ensure each event is extensively promoted through specialized media and reach the general public.
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The central location of Germany in Europe and the fact that its Trade Fairs are international are two key points. German Trade Fairs enable companies to participate in the global market. It is common to find worldwide visitors in its grounds. More than 30,000 exhibitors and 500,000 visitors from abroad attend these fairs in Germany every year. International German Fair offers exhibitors and visitors a global reach and international visibility, essential elements for trading worldwide. A company can learn about sales opportunities, assess the evolution of the international market, receive customer feedback on its products, and even evaluate jointly initiatives.
Dossier Germany
German Trade Fairs rely on strong collaboration between organizers, exhibitors, and visitors, all of which explains the long standing success of these single-theme fairs. Germany has 2.7 million of m2 to house these events. Germany offers visitors and exhibitors an excellent transportation system, with several international airports, a large highway network, and an efficient railroad system. All of this guarantees easy and comfortable transportation between cities and exhibition grounds.
What tips would you give to a company that wishes to participate in a German Trade Fair? You should consider several things beforehand. You need to set your goals first. If you clearly know what you want to achieve, it is easy to make an action plan which will include how you want to organize your team work and later your participation in the fair and contact with potential buyers. For first time exhibitors, the best option would be to share an exhibition space or collective stand, which reduces rental fees and logistics. If you have enough experience on this type of events, then you can set your own personalized stand. Trade Fairs always offer technical support to all exhibitors. In general, each fair website has a catalog with services, forms to submit, and detailed information. It is also important to have at hand general information about dates, schedule and opening hours, location of all activities within the exhibition grounds and its different access points, statistics and surveys on exhibitors
and visitors from previous years. You can also download maps, get information about the site area, access the list of exhibition stands, and find news for exhibitors and visitors. It is also desirable to make your travel arrangements when you send the fair registration form. The high volume of visitors affects the availability of lodging close to the exhibition grounds. It is important to place orders of all necessary things well in advance, from catalogs, brochures, and displays to stand equipment (phone lines, furniture & lightning, water supply). Mind the due dates! All printed material should be bilingual. The shipping of materials and products is responsibility of the exhibitor, not the fair. Thus, you should plan to be in your stand to receive those shipments as there are no warehouses to keep them. Your registration includes your listing in the fair online catalog, where you can include your company profile, a detail description of all your products or services, some images and/or videos, all of which are available 24/7 all year round. You can also contact press representatives to show your products. You should contact specialized media that relate to your business sector. In order to have a successful experience and receive tons of visitors, it would be interested to contact directly through emails or phone calls those partners, potential buyers, or interested parties who can stop by the stand during the fair.
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Interview | Erika Enrietti, Argentine-German Chamber of Commerce
In order to set up meetings with local or international buyers, the fairs have an online agenda called ‘matchmaking’ that simplifies this process.
I would recommend always to evaluate your performance during the fair and make a balance between your positive outcome and the investment you did to participate.
Always remember that your exhibition stand is like your business card: it shows who you are. It should be both attractive and functional. You must also have competent staff in your stand ready to provide accurate information and a good understanding of what you are offering.
What is the role of the Chamber of Commerce?
During the fair, when dealing with potential customers and visitors, your staff will show the professionalism of your company. You may want to keep records of these conversations by having some quick forms to be filled out by your staff with this information. Follow-up activities are a must when the event is over, so you can contact these visitors and offer specific information or products on sale, you can call them on the phone or even arrange a meeting or a visit. Ideally, all this recorded information as well as all the activities done during the fair should be added to the database of the company. At the same time, these venues gather most of the representatives of a particular industrial sector. You can exchange market information and learn from your competitors. In fact, when the fair is over, it really begins the analysis of your commercial plan and your performance during the event. You assess your business contacts, evaluate the reports and forms filled out by your staff, and plan your follow up activities. For most of the exhibitors, what they do to attract new customers redefines their future management decisions. It is very important to start your follow up activities a week after the even has finished. The way you safely and quickly respond to the orders placed during the event will show buyers how your company does business.
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The Argentine-German Chamber of Commerce represents all German fairs abroad. It offers detailed information of each event, the city, and the profile of the visitors. It also gives information on registration, fees, how to book exhibition stands, and lodging. It helps with the registration process, and offers advance sale of tickets and catalogs. The Chamber shares materials related to German economy that may be useful for intended participants.
What challenges can SMEs face when participating in German Trade Fairs? The Argentine-German Chamber of Commerce provides direct support and advice to SMEs. We help them to organize their exhibition, from choosing the best Trade Fair for their products or services, to the submission of registration forms, the accreditation of the exhibitor and his/her credentials, the translation of materials, meeting the deadlines and payments, or even the customization of the stand. We also help them with their travel arrangements giving tips on flights and lodging. The Chamber of Commerce gives special attention to those companies who have never participated in a Trade Fair in Germany as its rules or regulations may vary when compared to fairs held in other locations.
Dossier Germany
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Argentine Center of Commercial Promotion in Frankfurt (CPA) Promotional Activities Organized by this CPA
The Argentine Center of Commercial Promotion in Frankfurt (CPA) exercises jurisdiction over 50% of German GDP. Its main activities tend to improve the role of Argentine economy in the world; thus it works to create better conditions for Argentine companies in the competitive German market. The CPA also promotes the professional advantages of our market for foreign investments and seeks to offer our best opportunities available for German companies. Two strategic goals, which are closely connected, serve as the foundations of our commercial promotion and investment policies. They are:
• The commercial promotion of Argentina in Germany, particularly in the three Federal States under CPA jurisdiction. This means offering information on Argentine goods and services, trademarks and companies, jointly with local and national institutions. • The support to the relationship between institutions, companies, and trading representatives from the local market.
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In order to achieve these goals, several business and cultural activities are carried out:
a) Coordination and Organization of Business Meetings, Workshops, and Seminars with: • • • • • •
Individual Argentine Companies Groups of Entrepreneurs Organizations and Associations Official Delegations Commercial Missions Investment Missions
b) Promotional Activities with representatives from the business private or public sector, such as foreign trade institutions in the area. CPA organizes: • Visit Tours to companies and associations • Seminars, Workshops, Breakfast Work Sessions • Business Cooperation Conference to promote Argentina in Germany • Visit Tours to companies that import from Argentina • Commercial Missions for German entrepreneurs to visit Argentina (seminars, business rounds)
Dossier Germany
c) Survey of Commercial Information. CPA performs the following activities:
d) Support to Argentine Participation in Trade Fairs. CPA helps Argentine companies through:
• Writing Reports and Studies on market performance • Procuring data on imports (figures, place of origin), production, and exports of each good • Writing Reports and News Articles related to Argentine commercial promotion • Monitoring of specialized media • Identification of specific fairs in Germany for each Argentine product • Analysis of German economic sectors that complement Argentine export production • Mailing and Emailing of promotional activities to companies and associations in the area • Report on commercial activities and fairs that are held in Argentina • Update of database information, directories, etc. • Identification of calls for tenders available to Argentina
• Logistics and Information • Organization of other events parallel to the fair • Organization of commercial agendas • Promotion of Argentine exhibitors with each specific sector and association • Procuring specialized staff • Assistance to the events and local support
e) Cultural Activities to promote Argentina through: • Organization of Cultural and Commercial Activities • Organization of Academic meetings with Argentine faculty • Identification of specific cultural activities that promote Argentina in the area
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Argentine Center of Commercial Promotion in Frankfurt (CPA)
Information on German Federal States under the jurisdiction of the Argentine Center of Commercial Promotion in Frankfurt (CPA) The Argentine Center of Commercial Promotion in Frankfurt has jurisdiction in three Southern Federal States –Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, and Hessen. The Southern region has highly developed centers with leading technology in Europe. Most patent registration comes from Baden-Württemberg. Germany is known as a ‘world export champion’ thanks to both, well-known global brands –such as G.Daimler, Mercedes-Benz, R.Bosch, Porsche, and Boos-, and specialized SMEs –such as Fischer, Stihl, and Würth. The Federal State of Bayern houses some of the most emblematic companies of the world: BMW, Audi, Siemens, MAN, and EADS (Airbus) The Argentine Center of Commercial Promotion in Frankfurt is located in the Federal State of Hesse. The City of Frankfurt is a major financial center in Europe and offers all kinds of services. The chart below shows that the Southern Federal States under CPA jurisdiction have 36 percent of the total population and 30 percent of the territory.
State
Capital City
Km2
Population
Baden-Württemberg
Stuttgart 35,751.64
10,748
Bayern
Munich 70,549.32
12,517
Hessen
Wiesbaden 21,114.88
6,070
Germany
Berlin 357,021
82,000
These three Southern states represent 48.66 percent of the total GDP, which is almost a half of the total German GDP. This means that the South is an outstanding economic force in Germany. Its GDP per capita is also higher than the national average. In 2010, the German GDP per capita was 30,566 Euros. The Northern Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Federal State was 71 percent of the national GDP, while the City of Hamburg (the second largest in Germany) was 162 percent. Five out of the sixteen Federal States (Bundesländer) had a better GDP per capita than the national average in 2010. Baden-Württemberg GDP per capita was 33,650 Euros (10 percent higher than the national average), Bayern was 35,340 Euros (16 percent), and Hessen was 37,100 Euros (21 percent).
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Dossier Germany
German Federal States
GDP per capita
Total Population
EUROS
EUROS in Millions
1,000
Baden-Württemberg
33,651
361.7
10,749.9
Bayern
35,337
442.4
12,519.1
Berlin
27,499
94.7
3,444.4
Brandenburg
22,258
55.8
2,507.7
Bremen
42,046
27.7
659.6
Hamburg
49,683
88.3
1,779.1
Hessen
37,101 225
6,063.9
Lower Saxony
26,974
7,932.3
214
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
21,730
35.8
1,646.5
North Rhine-Westphalia
30,421
543
17,850.6
Rhineland-Palatinate
26,861
107.6
4,007
Saarland
29,472
30.1
1,019.8
Sachsen-Anhalt
22,245
52.2
2,344.7
Saxony
22,870
95
4,153.6
Schleswig-Holstein
26,712
75.6
2,831.4
Thuringia
22,252
49.9
2,241.2
Germany
30,566 2,498.8
81,750.7
Federal States Before Unification
32,340
2,115.5
65,412.7
New Federal States (After Unification)
22,384
288.6
12,893.7
Note: Chart Data from August 2010 to February 2011. Source: »Volkswirtschaftliche Gesamtrechnungen der Länder«
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Opinion | Victorio Taccetti , Argentine Ambassador in Germany
A Strategic Vision for the Relationship between Argentina and Germany The Federal Republic of Germany stands out internationally for its strong economy and high rate of exports. Germany has the world’s fourth largest nominal GDP (3.3 trillion dollars). It is the world’s second largest exporter with 1.34 trillion dollars (after China), and the number three importer with 1.1 trillion dollars (after USA and China). Germany’s export strength is clearly not wholly determined by its large global companies, such as Allianz, Daimler, Basf, SAP, Siemens, Volkswagen, Thyssen Krupp, among others. In fact, there is a large number of small and mid size firms (MSEs) known as Hidden Champions that are strong exporters and highly estimated in the international markets.
In 2010 Argentina’s exports were 68.13 billion dollars. The exports to Germany were 3.5 percent of our whole export volume. In fact, the exchange was higher because many shipments to Germany entered through the port of Rotterdam (Netherlands) and were not included in the statistics. Apart from the foreign trade reasons mentioned above, Germany hosts the most important International Trade Fairs, which are essential to contact potential buyers. Argentina takes part in many of them, such as the Anuga, Agritechnica, CeBIT, Fruit Logistic, Hannover Messe, ITB, BioFach, Automechanika, Frankfurter Buchmess, ProWein, among others. We organize exhibition stands or pavilions for our companies’ or institutions’ representatives. Fundación ExportAr has a key role during these events.
These successful smaller companies are, however, normally known only in their own area by customers and suppliers, but not to the wider public or business community. Although Hidden Champions are everywhere around the world, they are the most frequent in German speaking countries. Germany has around one thousand of these firms.
The strategic vision for the relationship between Argentina and Germany is not merely based upon foreign trade. Not only should we benefit from their economic development and products, but we should be more deeply committed to incorporating their innovative technology in our own industries.
Germany is an important trading partner for Argentina. In 2010, we exported 2.39 billion dollars and imported 3.16 billion. Our main export products are copper and other minerals, utility vehicles, meat and related products, fruits and oilseeds, motor vehicles and parts, pharmaceutical supplies, among others.
Incorporating technology means meeting higher quality standards for our industries and generating employment in our society. We can achieve this through German productive investments in Argentina and also through the scientific cooperation between both countries.
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Dossier Germany
Many recent examples illustrate this positive bilateral relationship based upon adding value to our products, technology transfer, and scientific innovations: -An ongoing project of Volkswagen in the Province of Córdoba. Volkswagen is the world’s third largest automobile company after GM and Toyota, and the largest in Europe. With an investment of 100 million Euros and a creation of 600 new jobs, the company will build a new production plant and an additional assembly line in VW Argentina’s Cordoba plant to accommodate the production of fuel-efficient MQ200/MQ250 gearboxes. Today, around 1,713 people produce 3,650 units per day. More than 90 percent of these products are shipped to other VW plants in Brazil, Mexico, USA, Germany, and Spain. Almost 25 percent of VW automobiles worldwide have a gearbox made in Argentina. -The Dr. Ferdinand Porsche Automotive Research and Development Center was established thanks to an agreement signed by the Ministry of Education, the National Technology University, and Volkswagen. It will offer technical courses and automobile engineering training.
It will be run in cooperation with Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET). This is the third Partner Institute of Max Planck Society in the world and the first in Latin America. More than 100 scientists from Argentina and Germany will work there. Its research is focused on finding new types of biomedical tests and treatments. In addition, the Institute will also provide training for post-docs and attract Argentine scientists back from abroad. This scientific cooperation and investment benefits not only our economy but also our educational system and our people. During an interview in October 2007, when asked which country she would like Argentina to emulate, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner answered: “We should follow Germany, the exporter”, because they have “a high level of technology which is what makes the difference; their innovative technology is the added value to whatever they produce”. This insight should be the strategic plan upon which sustains the bilateral relations between Argentina and Germany.
-The Max Planck Partner Institute for Biomedical Research from Max Planck Society was inaugurated on October 6, 2011 at the “Polo Científico”, a research campus in the City of Buenos Aires.
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Lebanon A Door to Western Asia
Baalbeck, Ciudad del Sol, 70
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Special Report Lebanon
In the last years, the Lebanese economy has consistently grown. After the Doha Agreement in 2008, local stability has prompted a significant business boom which has helped resisting the negative impact of the global economic crisis. Within this frame, Lebanon has built strong economic liaisons with Argentina, based on friendly bilateral relations and the complementarity of both economies. This special report seeks to assess the economic and commercial Lebanese market in order to find out the characteristics of its dynamic economy.
The Lebanese Republic is a small country situated on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon has an area of 10,400 sq km, extending 212 km from NE to SW, and less than 80 km from SE to NW. It is bordered on the North and East by Syria, on the South by Israel, and on the West by the Mediterranean Sea. According to 2009 official statistics, the population of Lebanon was estimated to be 4,055,000 with a growth of 1.1%. Even though the inter-annual demographic variation in Lebanon is low compared to neighboring countries, this situation does not affect the Lebanese purchasing power. The country has a GDP per capita of 14,400 dollars, which is higher than the regional average.1 Beirut is a major urban centre with 1,500,000 inhabitants, followed by Tripoli (210,000), Zahle (60,000), Saida (50,000), Tiro (20,000), and Byblos (10,000). Lebanon has the highest education rate in the region, with an adult literacy rate of 87.4 percent. The system is based on the French “Baccalaurete� and has elementary, intermediate, and secondary level schools. It is worth mentioning that 61 percent of elementary and intermediate students attend private schools because there are 1,400 private schools while the number of public schools is 1,335. University education is strongly developed. There are 40 universities, colleges, and other vocational training institutes. Almost 128,000 students are registered in higher education centers, 60 percent in state universities and 40 percent in private institutions. In reference to the macroeconomic situation, data shows a healthy and thriving economy. Postwar rebuilding efforts have been successful and, in 2010, the national GDP was 59 billion dollars which implies a growth of 7.5 percent. Even though Lebanon has a public debt of 41 billion dollars, several facts are quiet positive. Eighty percent of this debt is internal and in local currency, not subject to foreign exchange market. Most of this debt relates to reconstruction efforts and not to the lack of economic dynamism. After the Doha Agreement in 2008, the new situation and stability has welcomed investments. As a result, the Lebanese economy has witnessed unprecedented growth levels over the last two years, making Lebanon one of the region’s top performers in terms of economic growth.
1. Data from IMF (2010)
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Lebanon receives foreign direct investments (FDI) due to government support. In 1994 the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL) was established to facilitate and increase the amount of investments. In order to receive incentives (fee waivers and tax exemptions), there are priority sectors, such as industry, tourism, agriculture, agro-industrial products, technology, IT, telecommunications, and media. Most of FDIs are from Saudi Arabia (two-thirds of the total amount) and United Arab Emirates (20 percent). These FDIs are directed mainly to tertiary sectors (80 percent), particularly in real estate and hotels; while the industrial sector receives 13 percent of FDIs and agriculture 7 percent. It is important to highlight two key service activities: banking and tourism. The Lebanese banking system has 120 billion dollars. Under the current circumstances, it is high on liquidity and well reputed for its security, all of which guarantees its growth.2 This sector represents 4.5% of the national GDP and has 15,500 jobs (1.2% of the job market).3 In fact, the Lebanese currency is fully convertible and can be exchanged freely with any other currency. Moreover, no restrictions are put on the free flow of capital and earnings into and out of the Lebanese economy. According to a report from the Heritage Foundation in conjunction with The Wall Street Journal, Lebanon is a Middle East banking hub and is ranked as one of the freest economies regionally and internationally, with the Government maintaining a non窶進nterventionist stance toward private investments. It grants autonomy in the free flow of capital, and a no discrimination policy between local and foreign investments. The main assets are the deposits which represent 82 percent of the Lebanese GDP (from the private sector located in its territory). This private sector is formed by 60 banks: 8 of them offer medium and long term credits; 52 are commercial (and ten of these private banks are foreign). There are 855 branches in the country, with a ratio of 2 per every 10,000 people (the highest rate in the region and among emerging countries). In reference to tourism, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) forecasted that in 2011 this sector will be 9.5 percent of the GDP (3,770 billion dollars) offering 122,000 jobs (9.1% of total working-age population). Total direct and indirect revenues are estimated to about 13.5 billion dollars, which makes up 33 percent of the GDP. The 2012 estimations for this sector are promising (5.8 billion dollars, 9.7% of GDP), while the total estimations are 20.6 million dollars (34.7% of GDP). In regards to the exchange of goods, the permanent commercial Lebanese deficit appears negatively in the balance of its accounts, which has oscillated between 4.5 and 5.5 billion dollars. The Commercial Balance deficit in 2010 was 37 percent of the GDP, with 2.8 billion dollars in exports and 9.3 billion dollars in imports. The deficit of 11.8 billion dollars, however, was not automatically transferred into the balance of payments because of the positive balance resulting from tourism, international transportation, and investments.
Deir el-Qamar, Mosque 72
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2. This growth shows the increase in tourism activities and the reactivation of investments 3. This growth shows the high productivity of the banking system.
Special Report Lebanon
The deficit increase, nevertheless, has been permanent since 1990. On the other hand, the exports have grown larger than imports since 1998, which account for the low commercial deficit and the high import/export rates. During 2010, 102 countries purchased Lebanese goods and services; a half of this demand was from the Middle East region (almost 44%); the European Union imported 29%, USA 2%, and the MERCOSUR almost 1%. Regarding exports, 108 countries exported their products: 43% of the exports came from the European Union, and 3% from MERCOSUR. Lebanese exports around the world have increased between 1993 and 1996 at annual growth rate in average of 17 percent, from 515 million dollars in 1993 to 734 million in 1996. After the 1997 recession ended, when exports fell by 12.7% compared to the previous year, all sales were affected but several increases were reported in the export trading sector. In fact, by 2000, exports reached a maximum of 714 million dollars. From 2002 onwards, there was a sustained export growth thanks to the global situation and the active promotion activities supported by the government. Thus, in the last five years, the exports revenues have doubled. The main Lebanese exports are stones, precious metals, and jewelry (23%); machinery and general equipment (15%); metals and related products (14%); agricultural products and food (13%); chemicals (7%); paper, cardboard, and related products (6%); and textiles (4%). This list has undergone important changes in the last years: agricultural products, food, and textiles have decreased while gems, machinery, and chemicals have increased. After the postwar import frenzy that triggered the demand of building materials, the volume of imports has been constant for the past years in keeping with the country’s situation. Imports increased between 1991 and 1997, and reached 7.4 billion dollars. After the recession period between 1997 and 2000, it started a sustained import growth and reached 9.4 billion dollars in 2004. This same import figure remained until 2010. The main Lebanese imports are oil and liquid fuels (24%); machinery and equipment (12%); chemicals (9%); utility vehicles and automobiles (8%); metals and manufactured products (7%); agricultural products and food (6%); textiles (5%); animals and related products (5%); vegetable products (4%); and plastics and related products (4%). The economic and commercial relationship between Lebanon and Latin America has not yet been strongly developed, which seems to be peculiar when considering the strong personal ties between both areas. There is a large presence of Lebanese immigrants in the Americas. In fact, the Lebanese diaspora to Latin America doubles Lebanon’s actual population. This situation would be explained if we understand how certain trading sectors behave with caution towards the situation in Lebanon. Even though the small amount of local consumers can be seen as a negative market factor, the importance of trading with Lebanon goes much further.
Deir el-Qamar, Mosque News
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Lebanon is more than a potential market with high demand from buyers. In fact, it is part of the Arab world and is an access door to Middle Eastern markets. Argentina has strong personal ties with Lebanon and knows the idiosyncrasy of its people; so it is vital to develop better commercial relations with this country no matter its distance from our territory and our cultural differences.
It is worth mentioning the importance of the Port of Beirut, a very active and modern facility in the region. The Port of Beirut has a total area of 1,200,000m2 with five docks, which handle the container traffic and house the passenger terminal. This port is capable of simultaneously loading 25 ships and handling annually more than 375,000 containers. The largest shipping companies in the world have offices located here so it has become a transshipment hub. In fact, this situation guarantees regularity on the shipments which allows savings for the companies, because they can use larger ships and limit their costs. Another key element for reducing costs is its location: on one side, ships do not need to pass through the Suez Canal (unlike ships that travel to Persian Gulf ports); on the other, the main capital cities of the region are at short distance from Beirut, so ground transportation is not expensive.
It is clear that we can place Argentine products in the Lebanese market through those countries in the region with which we have excellent diplomatic and commercial relations. In this case, it is not a waste of time to look closer into the advantages that countries such as Lebanon can offer to us for our economy, particularly for its close relationship with us and its leading commercial role in the Middle East. Both for its common history and idiosyncrasy with the countries in the region, Lebanon appears as a promising market for developing new initiatives and increasing the volume and diversity of our bilateral trading exchange.
The actual scenario of bilateral commercial relations between Lebanon and Argentina is promising because both countries represent more options of complementarity to each other. This could advance in a short or medium term into a dynamic economic relation, something attested by the growth of the exchanged trade since the last decade. It is important to highlight that Argentina reported a trade surplus with Lebanon in 2006 and most of the bilateral trade belongs to national purchases. In the following Table 1 and Chart 1 you will find the evolution of bilateral trade between Argentina and Lebanon from 2006 to 2010:
Table 1. Balance of Trade: Argentina-Lebanon (dollars in millions)
Year
Exports
Imports
Total Trade
Total
2006
27,516,9261
89,485
27,327,441
27,706,411
2007
45,945,7812
83,012
45,662,7694
6,228,793
2008
48,632,017
402,3684
8,229,6494
9,034,385
2009
48,684,436
1,719,8504
6,964,586
50,404,286
2010
60,326,3386
35,779
59,690,5596
962,117
Total
231,105,498
3,493,332
227,612,166
234,598,830
Source: Fundaci贸n ExportAr (based on data from Argexim-CEI)
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Special Report Lebanon
La Rouche, Beirut,
Chart 1 (Line Graph). Trade Exchange between Argentina and Lebanon (dollars in thousands) 70.000.000 60.000.000 50.000.000 40.000.000
Exports 30.000.000
Imports
20.000.000 10.000.000 0 2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Source: Fundaci贸n ExportAr (based on data from Argexim-CEI)
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As already mentioned above, the commercial growth between Argentina and Lebanon is based on Argentine sales. Our exports have shown an increase since 2006. This trend was not affected by the economic crisis of 2008. In fact, as opposed to what happened with other countries, Lebanon has increased its demands for our products. Significant increases in the export value made our shipments increased by 23.9% in 2010 (compared to what was sent in 2009). If we analyze 2006 numbers, the Lebanese demand has increased by 119.2%. It is also important to remind that the flow of Argentine exports is fragile: it mainly consists of food commodities which vary due to changes in the Lebanese markets and unforeseen conditions for the producers (such as weather, for example).
Argentine purchases have not exceeded 1.7 million dollars during this same period. This means that the participation of Argentina is less prominent in the bilateral trading, because it has never represented more than 3.3% of the total exchanged. Another difference lies in the fact that we have not maintained a constant demand of products: there was an increase until 2009 and then a retraction in 2010. Our imports right now are 63% less than in 2009, though 235.5% higher than in 2006.
Chart N掳 2. Bilateral Trade Share from 2006 to 2010.
1,5% Lebanon
98,5% Argentina Source: Fundaci贸n ExportAr (based on data from Argexim-CEI)
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Special Report Lebanon
A detailed analysis of Argentine sales shows that our shipments to Lebanon concentrate to a reduced number of sectors. During 2006-2010, residues and waste from food industries were 81.7 million dollars (77.5% of our exports to Lebanon); pharmaceutical products were 54.1 million; fats, animal and vegetable oils were 24.6; cereals were 18.6 million. The total of sales to the Lebanese Republic was 179.1 million dollars and the total of exports was 231.1 million. The following chart 3 shows Argentina’s share of said sectors in purchases performed by Lebanon in our country for the period 2006-2010:
Chart N° 3. Share by Chapter of Lebanon Total Imports from Argentina (from 2006 to 2010)
22,5% Others
35,4% Chapter 23: Residues & Waste
from Food Industry
8,1% Chapter 10: Cereals
10,5% Chapter 15:
Fats and Oils
23,4% Chapter 30: Pharmaceutical
Products
Source: Fundación ExportAr (based on data from Argexim-CEI)
Baalbeck, Ciudad del Sol News
77
Below is a study about Lebanese imports of any origin for those products also exchanged with Argentina: residues and waste from Food Industry, pharmaceutical products, fats and oils, and cereals. This data is from 2009 as we do not have more recent information. Lebanon imports of waste from the food industry of any origin reached in 2009 to 71.7 million dollars, making our country the principal supplier of said product. Purchases from this country were heavily concentrated since the four main selling markets to Lebanon in 2009 represented 91.5 % of the total: Argentina (35.9%), USA (29.9%), Syria (8.3%), and France (3.2%). It is also worth mentioning the evolution of purchases Lebanon has performed in our country when we remind the inexistence of shipments in 2006. Finally, it is important to highlight that 2009 values are the highest amounts registered for this period, though it is not possible to confirm these numbers as a growth trend.
Chart N° 4. Share by Country in total Lebanese Imports of Residues & Waste from Food Industry (2009) 19,2% Others 35,9% Argentina 3,2% France
11,5% Syria
29,9% USA Source: Fundación ExportAr (based on data from WITS-COMTRADE)
In regards to pharmaceuticals, Lebanon purchased products from 43 countries for an amount of 752.2 million dollars during 2009. As previously verified on the other sectors, Lebanon imports are concentrated, though in a smaller percentage, since the five principal markets of origin concentrate 56.5%: France (16.9%), Germany (13.4%), Switzerland (10.7%), USA (7.8%) and UK (7.3%). Our country managed to reach the eleventh place as supplier (and the first place from Latin America) by sending pharmaceuticals for an amount of 20.5 million dollars. This shows an increase of 64% compared to 2008, when Lebanese purchases reached 12.5 million dollars. In fact, when compared to 2006 results, the increase between both years was 90.2%.
Chart N° 5. Share by Country in total Lebanese Imports of Pharmaceutical Products (2009) 17,0% France
43,7% Others 13,5% Germany
10,7% Switzerland
7,3% UK Fuente: Elaboración Fundación ExportAr sobre datos de WITS-COMTRADE
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7,8% USA
Special Report Lebanon
In regards to fats and oils purchases, Lebanon imported products from 29 countries for 131.3 million dollars during 2009. A strong concentration in purchases can be seen again, 43.9% can be explained due to the demand from four countries though none of them has more than 17.2%. It is important to mention that national sales under Chapter 15 registered a different dynamic than the two previous chapters. This is due to the factor that these products, even though they are one of the main exports from Argentina, did not register demand in 2009 in contrast to products under Chapter 23 and 30 that been demanded throughout all of the years studied.
Chart N掳 6. Share by Country in total Lebanese Imports of Fats and Oils (2009) 13% Egypt
12% Saudi Arabia 56% Others
11% Syria
08% Malaysia
Source: Fundaci贸n ExportAr (based on data from WITS-COMTRADE)
Lebanon imported cereals from any origin for 242.2 million dollars in 2009. It can be seen again that there was a strong concentration in purchases, 72.2% can be explained due to the demand from four countries in 2009: Russia (32.5%), Ukraine (20.4%), USA (13.8%), and Egypt (5.5%). Our country managed to reach the seventh place as supplier by sending cereals for an amount of 7.4 million dollars (3% of the total of imports). Below, Chart 7 shows the share of the above mentioned countries during 2009:
Chart N掳 7. Share by Country in total Lebanese Imports of Cereals (2009)
28%
Others 33% Russia
06% Egypt
14%
USA
20%
Ukraine
Source: Fundaci贸n ExportAr (based on data from WITS-COMTRADE)
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Following, Table 2 shows the main imported chapters from Argentina to Lebanon between 2006 and 2010:
Table 2. Main Exports to Lebanon (in dollars) 2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Residues and Waste from the Food Industry
1,887,159
14,795,323
Chemicals and Related Products
6,852,765
8,560,506
18,663,249
21,734,519
24,626,145
9,123,583
14,285,899
15,919,704
271,807
5,684,945
2,573,675
3,043,132
5,327,122
1,918,431
5,466,997
3,163,111
2,010,296
3,485,927
4,975,351
0
2,413,250
1,045,356
1,191,127
1,410,391
R°
Main Chapters
1° 2° 3°
Cereals
4°
Dairy Products
5°
Fats and Oils
9,355,867
7,882,832
6°
Coffee, Teas, Yerba Mate, Spices
1,016,397
991,835
7°
Fish and Seafood
1,791,204
1,139,267
960,774
1,499,063
1,316,930
8°
Other Industrial Products (MOI)
551,244
480,161
515,123
567,302
1,095,948
9°
Meat
131,780
411,980
969,014
1,987,709
965,332
10°
Fresh Vegetables and Legumes
392,961
141,837
320,645
784,119
940,638
11°
Others
927,820
596,132
592,767
577,056
820,072
12°
Other Agro Products (MOA)
318,806
451,476
724,162
412,069
597,488
13º
Oleaginous Fruits and Oilseeds
330,451
328,473
484,065
881,500
475,818
14º
Fresh Vegetables, Fruits and Legumes Preparations
443,34
580,077
309,596
480,479
370,832
15º
Sugar and Sugar Confectionery
217,683
226,918
229,125
155,636
200,396
16º
Machinery and Equipment, Electronics
131,415
345,629
150,496
28,842
177,847
17º
Rubber and Related Products TOTAL
322,552
285,258
225,415
170.,89
42,623
27,516,926
45,945,781
47,780,962
48,684,436
60,326,338
Source: Fundación ExportAr (based on data from Argexim-CEI)
Lastly, it is worth mentioning that the current stage of political and economic relations open new opportunities to strengthen bonds between Argentina and Lebanon. In this regard, the organization of mutual visits at different administrative levels and the improvement of legislation on cooperation are very significant for reinforcing bilateral relations.
At the same time, this dynamic cannot set aside the private sector; thus it is important for the reciprocal exchange between entrepreneurs, the organization of business forums, and the participation in fairs for each sector. The strengthening bonds with the Lebanese private sector, the most developed in the region, will allow for new businesses and fluid bilateral relations. Lebanon offers favorable scenarios for direct investment (FDI) and joint ventures so these are also areas to be considered. In fact, the private sector is a major asset in the Lebanese Republic. It stands out as the most important in the regional economy because it is independent from government policies on investments and foreign purchases, which are not subject to external variables other than economical.
In conclusion, Lebanon is a market with several benefits for the Argentine exporter. Not only do the Lebanese people have a high purchasing power, but Lebanon itself may be the door for Argentina to enter the big markets in the Middle East, Persian Gulf, and Northern Africa, thanks to traditional bonds and free trade agreements between the countries from those regions.
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Special Report Lebanon
El-Amin Mosque, Beirut News
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Activities Fairs Rounds Promotion of Services Training
In this section are listed all activities Fundación has carried out and those scheduled for December 2011
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Fairs 16a L’Artigiano in Fiera 2011 Milan, Italy December 3-11 Handicrafts
The 16th Edition of L’Artigiano in Fiera took place in the exhibition ground of the city of Milan, Fieramilano RhoPero. It was organized by Ge.Fi. SpA. The event was carried at the same time as EcoNavigare (Nautical Craft Show) and EcoAbitare (Furniture and Decoration for the Home and Selfsustaining Garden). Within 10 halls of the fairground (150,000m2), 1,500 exhibitors and 3 million visitors met, which meant a great opportunity to promote handcraft, art, culture, gastronomy, and tourism. Fundación ExportAr supports our artisans and helps them show our traditions and handcrafts, folk music, and typical foods. The National Pavilion this year had 81m2 and was on the Pad10 International Hall, where most countries were located. Among the exhibitors were India, Nepal, South Africa, Mexico, Peru, Cuba, Brazil, USA, Nicaragua, Australia, Madagascar, Colombia, Ecuador, Morocco, Thailand, Egypt, Syria, Iran, and Philippines. Nine Argentine companies exhibited their products: El País del Cereal (thermal bags and sacks), I Burattini (puppets and marionettes), Cooperativa Artesanal Minera Rumi Wasi Ltda. (onyx stone crafts), La Bautta-Artigiano in Cuoio (decorative masks and leather female accessories), Alejandro (t-shirts, vinyl crafts, watches), Punto Ar (leather & zamak bracelets), Bellas Artes (wooden wine racks, CDs racks, picture frames, card holders, leather flowers), Rosas de Jabón (soap crafts), and Granalla Platería (silver and leather crafts). These companies closed 13 business deals, and half of them will probably become wholesale sales in the short term. There were approximate revenues of 20,000 dollars for Argentine handicrafts during the first five days. The event had expected sales of 4 million dollars.
Fairs 24th Performance Racing Industry Trade Show 2011 Orlando, USA December 1-3 Motor Racing
Training Export Development for Oil Sector Comodoro Rivadavia, Province of Chubut December 5 Fundación ExportAr jointly with ProChubut organized this seminar in the City of Comodoro Rivadavia. During the event, information on Fundación ExportAr services was provided. The seminar content was on International Commercialization, Incoterms 2010, Means of Transport, and Prices, Taxes, and FOB cost.
The 24th Performance Racing Industry Trade Show (PRI) was held in the Orange County Convention Center in USA. It is the most important trade show in USA and is organized by the monthly magazine Performance Racing Industry. It gathers professionals from the industry, racing pilots, sellers, warehouse distributors, and manufacturers. This Trade Show has served thousands of racing entrepreneurs as their key source for industry trends, merchandising ideas, new products, business strategies, and more. This year, over 40,000 people linked to the sector and came from more than 67 countries to Orlando. There were more than a thousand exhibitors and 3,000 exhibition stands of products and services. This was the sixth consecutive opportunity in which Fundación ExportAr organized the presence of Argentine companies jointly with the Province of Santa Fe in a National Pavilion. It was located in an island of 54m2 and had 8 points of sales that displayed Argentine products. It was a highlighted point during the fair for its organization and display. According to the companies that participated in the event, the firms at the Argentine Pavilion generated 281 contacts with 67 getting closer to deals. These companies closed transactions for 200,000 dollars and expect future deals for 1.5 million dollars, which outnumbered previous editions results. The companies that participated in PRI were the following: Basso S.A./American Valve Center (valves), Conforma Exhaust Systems S.R.L. (exhaust systems), Comat Special Developments (shock absorber), José L. Pozzi S.A. (shock absorbers, brakes, suspension), Collino Machines S.R.L. (chassis, suspension, cylinder heads, air filters), Grupo Idac Ingeniería S.R.L. (special auto parts), Vaymsa Team S.A. (racing apparel), and Pianetto Juan Carlos (pneumatic jacks for racing cars).
“Forming Export Groups” Province of Córdoba December 13
Fundación ExportAr jointly with Standard Bank Foundation and ProCórdoba Agency organized a seminar on Forming Export Groups. Several topics were covered: Fundación ExportAr services, requirements to create a group, the role of the coordinator, cooperative consortia, third party exports mechanism, institutional support, and funding. In the end, there were two case presentations about Successful Export Groups.
“First Steps in Exporting” Province of Formosa December 13
Fundación ExportAr jointly with the Commerce and Development Division of the Province of Formosa organized a seminar on First Steps in Exporting. Several topics were covered: Fundación ExportAr services, product internalization, foreign markets, how to carry out export activities, risks of exporting, international trade barriers, logistics, and methods of payment. There was a workshop on theory and practice in marketing and international negotiation; FOB price calculation; seller’s obligations; International Sale Agreement; and Export circuit.
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Calendar of Events 2012 International Fairs (First Semester 2012) Date Name
Sector
Country
02/02/12
FERIA INTERNACIONAL PAPUDO
MULTISECTORIAL
Chile
08/02/12
FRUIT LOGISTICA
FRUITS & VEGETABLES
Germany
13/02/12
PRODEXPO 2012
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Russia
15/02/12
BIOFACH
ORGANIC FOOD
Germany
19/02/12
GULFOOD DUBAI
FOOD
United Arab Emirates
02/03/12
ARTEAMÉRICAS
ARTS & ANTIQUES
USA
04/03/12 PDAC
MINERY
Canada
05/03/12
SALÓN DE GOURMETS
GOURMET FOOD
Spain
06/03/12
FOODEX 2012
FOOD
Japan
06/03/12 CEBIT
IT
Germany
09/03/12
EXPO WEST
ORGANIC PRODUCTS
USA
10/03/12
AUTOMEC
AUTO PARTS
Brazil
11/03/12
BOSTON SEA FOOD
FISHERY
USA
FOOTWEAR
Brazil
20/03/12 FIMEC 21/03/12
EXPOCOMER 2012
MULTISECTORIAL
Panama
26/03/12
ALIMENTARIA BARCELONA
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Spain
NAVAL/AEROSPACE
Chile
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Singapore
MULTISECTORIAL
Bolivia
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Brazil
EDUCATION
USA
FOOD & BEVERAGES
USA
27/03/12 FIDAE 17/04/12
FOOD AND HOTEL ASIA
26/04/12 FEICOBOL 07/05/12
APAS
27/05/12 NAFSA 17/06/12
SUMMER FANCY FOOD
International Business Rounds (First Semester 2012) Date Name
Sector
29/03/12
PRE-MICA REGIÓN NEA
PUBLISHING, MUSIC, AUDISOVISUAL/ MULTIMEDIA
17/04/12
BUSINESS ROUND FOR BOOKS BUYERS
BOOKS
17/05/12
PRE-MICA REGIÓN NOA
EDITORIAL, MÚSICA Y SERVICIOS AUDIOVISUALES - MULTIMEDIA
17/05/12
ART BUSINESS CENTER
ARTS & ANTIQUES
01/06/12
PRE-MICA REGIÓN CENTRO
PUBLISHING, MUSIC, AUDISOVISUAL/ MULTIMEDIA
Service Promotional Activities (First Semester 2012)
84
Date Name
Sector Country
26/02/12
ARGENTINE ENTREPRENEURS
KNOWLEDGE, SERVICES, DESIGN
France
27/02/12
4GSMA - MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS
IT SERVICES
Spain
01/03/12
FRANCHISE INTERNATIONAL FAIR
FRANCHISING
Mexico
23/05/12
EXPO PUBLICITAS (also Business Rounds)
SERVICES
Mexico
23/05/12
WORKSHOP EDUCATIVO
EDUCATION
USA
04/06/12
FESTIVAL DE ANIMACION DE ANNECY
AUDIOVISUAL & ANIMATION
FrancE
18/06/12
WORKSHOP DE IT
EDUCATION
USA
News
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