Trade Week provides export chances for Seoul SMEs

Trade Week 2021 -- the Seoul Business Agency’s global trade conference, established to offer export opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises in Seoul -- began its four-day run Tuesday.

The SBA, a city-run agency that supports SMEs in the capital, said a total of 300 companies will participate in more than 1,200 online export consultations with 500 foreign buyers from more than 20 countries. The participating companies work mainly in the categories of beauty, lifestyle, food, medical and quarantine, and IT and electronics.

As the SMEs and overseas buyers have already registered on Trade Week’s online platform and obtained information about each other in advance, the organizers said both sides will have helpful consultations during the event. The SBA will keep the platform running after Trade Week to allow further talks between Seoul SMEs and overseas buyers.

Trade Week invited experts from various fields to offer perspectives on international trade trends and strategies. A global trade conference is scheduled for each day until Friday.

“If we are going to connect digitally, we want to entertain and enlighten. But we need to give people connection and the sense of influence. Technology has an incredible ability to do that,” well-known behavioral scientist Jon Levy said in his keynote speech.

Jeffrey Jones, former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, talked about how businesses in Seoul can brand the capital city when marketing themselves. He advised companies to tell Seoul’s story when they sell their products and services.

Trade Week also features live commerce shows and launching events for new products, according to the organizers.

During the live commerce show, companies that export beauty, food and lifestyle items will have the chance to present their products for China and Southeast Asia. The shows will be streamed via LUVE, Naver Shopping Live and Taobao.

The global trade event takes place at the FIC Convention Hall on Sebitseom, an island on the Han River in southern Seoul. More information about Trade Week can be found on its official website.

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)