DEPT. OF COMMERCE TRADE MISSION: MADRID AND MILAN, MAY 10-15, 1998 The Department of Commerce is organizing a Women In Trade Business Development Mission (WIT) to Madrid and Milan, May 10-15, 1998. WIT missions focus on women o~wned or managed companies. This mission is open to all business executives without restriction. Mission members will have products and services with market potential in Italy and Spain. Mission members will receive promotional and marketing services tailored to their specific business objectives in Spain and Italy. Commerce trade experts will promote the companies' products and services to potential business partners and arrange one-on-one meetings with pre-qualified sales prospects, agents, distributors, and joint venture partners. Companies also will receive market reports and briefings on the current business environments in Spain and Italy. Small businesses will find this mission especially beneficial, with the opportunity to assess sales prospects and business partners first hand. Italy and Spain provide a wealth of business opportunities for U.S. companies. Italy is the world's fifth largest industrial economy, with a GDP of more than $1.2 trillion. And, Spain has a GDP of $592 billion. The United States is a major trading partner of both countries. Italy and Spain offer American companies promising niche markets in their well developed industrial and consumer sectors as well as in business and social services. Business prospects are especially promising in computers and software, telecommunications, environmental technologies, laboratory scientific instrumentation, medical equipment, electronic components, franchising, security and safety equipment. Timetable: Sunday, May 10, mission members gather in Madrid. Monday-Tuesday, May 11-12, business briefings and meetings in Madrid. Wednesday, May 13, travel to Milan and briefings. Thursday-Friday, May 14-15, business meetings in Milan. Mission concludes Friday, May 15. Company recruitment has already started and will conclude by April 1. Business executives will be accepted on a "first come" basis and will be limited to 20 companies. A company's products or services must have potential in the target markets, and the product or service must either be produced in the United States or, if not, be marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and contain at least 51 percent U.S. content of the value of the finished product or service. To sign up for this mission or to request additional information, contact Ms. Loretta Allison, U.S. Department of Commerce, Room 2003, Washington, DC 2023O, telephone (202) 482-5479, FAX (202) 482-1999, or E-mail loretta_allison@ita.doc.gov.

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