Agenda

Wednesday, October 26th

9:00AM - 3:00 PM Golf tournament and Awards Reception,
Riverfront Golf Club

6:00 PM -7:30 PM Conference kick-off reception at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott

Thursday, October 27th

7:30 – 8:45 AM: Breakfast

9:00 – 10:15 AM: Morning Keynote; Michael Hick, author of Global Deals, will discuss navigating the complex culture conundrum to achieve profit. The only direction the world competition graph goes is up! How do we get ahead, and keep ahead of global competition in a price-driven world? Why do our overseas customers think and act the way they do? How do we change our business into an Exporting Powerhouse? How do we find profitable new overseas customers? How do we keep up with the shifting sands of world markets? What are the keys to being a World-Class exporter? How do we build lasting loyalty with distant customers? Come hear Michael Hick, who is world renown and helps clients across the globe negotiate effectively anywhere in the world, and learn how to sell your products or services internationally.

10:30 – 11:45 AM (Track A):
Case Studies of Successful Deal Closers--Join Bill Dickson, Sales Manager of Bauer Compressors, Mike Patterson of International Technology Sales, LLC, and Richard Bradley, Director of Business Development, of Synergy International Systems, Inc., who have all closed countless international deals, and learn what worked well, and maybe not so well, on their path to global success.

10:30- 11:45 AM (Track B):
Practical Negotiating Skills--Attendees will learn how to leave room to negotiate, how to challenge a position, what to do when dealing with deadlocks, what are effective strategy building techniques, identifying individual vs. team negotiations and how to discern buyers' pressures. Join speakers from American River International as they cover these important facets of negotiating.

12:00 – 1:30 PM: Lunch Session Keynote Address; Paul Morgan, in Global Procurement with Rolls-Royce plc, the global power systems manufacturer will speak about negotiating cross-border deals with supply chain companies, commercial airlines, shipbuilders and defense ministries around the globe. He will specifically address brand integrity and supply chain threats to it, as well as give insight for how SMEs can tap into the global opportunities of Rolls-Royce plc.

1:45 – 3:00 PM (Track A):
Michael Hick--Practical Insight For How It's Done In The Real World, Part I; The exporter’s world is a complicated place with a thousand unspoken reasons why deals win……..and loose. Learn the vital keys to cross-culture competency which make even the toughest negotiations work. Discover the different priorities of the world’s major culture groups, how to build and run international teams. Change the culture of your business from ethnocentric to globalcentric. The making of the 21st century business leader – The Global Individual.

1:45 – 3:00 PM (Track B):
Negotiating International Contracts-- What are things you absolutely MUST have in an international contract, and what are things you can leave out? Come and learn from the experts. George Thompson, Partner from Neville Peterson, LLP, Lawrence Tuskey, General Counsel at Reynolds Consumer Products Company and Art McKinney, President and CEO of McKinney and Company will be discussing the fine points of international contract negotiations.


3:15 – 4:30 PM (Track A):
Michael Hick--Practical Insight For How It's Done In The Real World, Part II; Bring your cross-culture stories to this interactive seminar, learning from each other. The faux pas, the bombs, the red faces are all OK. Working overseas is a lifetime learning experience filled with adventure, interest and lots of laughs. Share your own culture priorities and how they might be understood by an overseas buyer. Come and tell your conference colleagues your export successes… and ‘malfunctions’! This will be a FUN session.

3:15 – 4:30 PM (Track B):
Managing the Mature Market/Industry: Some companies may be established in international markets for some time already, while other companies might be trying to break into a mature market/industry. Listen and learn from experts in the field, such as Elizabeth Ford, Global Products Manager, Resins and Caprolactam, of Honeywell International and Kenneth Young, President and CEO of LCC, as they discuss how to maintain their relevance and grow sales in an existing or mature market/industry.

6:00 PM – Cocktail Reception

7:00 PM – Awards Banquet
Strategies for Global Success: Join us for an exciting evening that kicks off with insightful comments from Dave Ryan, Senior Vice President, Americas Region, with Tata Communications. Mr. Ryan, on how to position your company for success in the world market place. Afterwards, there will be dinner and an awards ceremony.