US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter D Haas on Tuesday hoped that the US trade show will promote the economic relationship with Bangladesh.
The envoy said this at a press conference held on the eve of the 28th Annual US Trade Show 2022 at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) and the United States Embassy in Dhaka are co-sponsoring the three-day-long trade show which is going to begin on Thursday at the same venue.
The annual exhibition is one of the major activities that AmCham Bangladesh undertakes with a view to stimulating a greater understanding of each other's economic potentials and opportunities.
This year hundreds of US products represented by 44 exhibitors from home and abroad (occupying 76 booths) will be on display during the event, according to a press release.
AmCham President Syed Ershad Ahmed, who was also present at the press conference, said this year’s trade show is particularly significant because it is the first such event held in person since the outbreak of Covid-19.
He said the event also falls during the 50th anniversary of US-Bangladesh bilateral relations.
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The US is ranked as the top export destination for Bangladeshi products, and two-way trade between the US and Bangladesh totalled $10.64 billion in 2021, Ershad said.
He said that businesses will showcase the high quality, innovative American goods and services at the event, adding that over 40 exhibitors operating in Bangladesh, including in the energy, banking and financial services, food and beverage sectors, and more, will display the products and services of US brands from October 27 to 29.
The show will be inaugurated by Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi as the chief guest and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service Arun Venkataraman as the special guest at 10:30am.
Besides the exhibition of American products and services, there would also be five seminars during the Show, the press release said.
On Thursday, seminars titled “Logistics for Regional Connectivity” at 3:00pm and “Intellectual property rights and impact on cross border business” at 4:30pm will be held.
On Friday, seminars titled “Education USA” and “Business/Investor visa” will be held at 3:00pm and 4:30pm respectively.
On Saturday, a seminar on “USAID: Support for Private Sector Growth” will be held at 3:00pm.
The show, including the seminars, will remain open for visitors from 10:00am to 8:00pm.
The entry fee for this year’s show is Tk 30 per person. Students in uniform or with identity cards will be allowed free entry.
There will be attractive prizes for a few lucky winners from visitors based on a raffle draw of entry ticket coupons after the trade show.
Since 1992, the three-day-long exhibition has emerged as Bangladesh’s pristine annual business event which usually draws thousands of visitors each edition.
