Asian American Business Expo Offers Small and Midsize Businesses Access to Asian Consumers, Market

Aug. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- CHICAGO, IL - It’s easy to think of cheap imports and outsourcing when the topic of Asian trade arises. However, anyone who has traveled to Asia can attest to the fact that American brands are everywhere. In fact, after the United States, China is the largest market for luxury goods in the world, according to Bain and Company, and China’s daily English Newspaper, China Daily.

“Asia holds great market potential for American companies," remarked Shelly Ng, Executive Vice President of OCA Chicago and Event Manager of the Asian American Business Expo. "Look to Asia if you want to expand your territory. Asian consumers love American brands. Don't miss out on the billions of consumers there,” Ng added.

Big corporations such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Yum! Brands, P&G, GM, Microsoft and Apple have taken advantage of the purchasing power of Asian consumers for years; but small and midsize American businesses have had a rougher time of selling into Asia’s marketplace due to barriers such as language and culture, and a lack of business connections.

To help small to mid-size businesses break into the global market, Asian Americans in Chicago will host the region’s first Asian American Business Expo on Saturday, August 13th, 2011 at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).

At the Asian American Business Expo, attendees will be able to network with Asian American professionals and receive expert advice on international trade, financing and business development. A total of 20 workshops will be offered, covering topics such as international banking, accounting and tax, venture capital, intellectual property, franchising, estate planning, payroll, social media, and designing products for export.

Eric Dobyne, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce MBDA, said, “Asian American businesses are the fastest growing in 12 states. We believe that leveraging Asian Americans to support U.S. exports and job creation is a sound strategy.”

Three organizations are behind this year’s Asian American Business Expo: OCA, a non-profit, non-partisan organization for Asian Pacific Americans; the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), the only Federal agency created to help grow minority businesses; and the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council (Chicago MSDC) which certifies minority businesses and promotes minority contracting.

George Mui, Global Business Consultant of the U.S. Department of Commerce MBDA said, “Asian American firms generate more than $500 billion in economic output to the U.S. Economy, create almost 3 million jobs, and are nearly three times as likely to generate sales through exports.”

The Asian American Business Expo is open to everyone. Admission is free but requires registration at www.AsianAmericanBusinessExpo.com