Fall 2016 Global Connect eNews

REMINDERS:

Nov 11 WUSATA office closed for Veterans Day

Nov 24-25 WUSATA office closed for Thanksgiving

Dec 26 WUSATA office closed for Christmas

Jan 5 CPR Deadline

Jan 25-27 Winter Meeting

Summer Meeting Recap

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2016 Summer Meeting in Lake Tahoe, NV July 18 & 19. We appreciate everything you do to make the WUSATA programs a great success every year. This issue of eNews is to recognize the hard work and collaboration you brought to the summer meeting topics, ranging from Early Recruitment to Interns to Company No-Shows and everything in between. 

Airfare Purchases: WUSATA has a 24-hour window to void airfare after purchase. However, PMs are asked to continue to closely review booked tickets for accuracy before tickets are purchased.

ATO Notifications: When sending the ATO Notification letter, please begin adding the name of the hotel that you and event participants are staying (if known). This is a recommended security measure for travelers in case of emergency.

Buyer Profile Form: In an effort to create consistency among country contractors of buyer information delivered to the states, it was suggested that a uniform buyer profile form be created. WUSATA agreed to support the states in reinforcing the use of the form by the contractors. Uniformity would assist in completion of buyer information and timeliness to the interested companies.

Company No-Shows: Companies that repeatedly do not show for registered events will receive letters from WUSATA reminding them the importance of cancelling if they cannot attend. No-Shows affect all parties, both buyers looking to meet with the companies, and other companies that may not have been able to attend due to unavailability. It is extremely important that project managers communicate all company no-shows and cancellations to WUSATA.

Contractors: We have invited country contractors to attend the 2017 Winter Meeting held at WUSATA headquarters in January. They will arrive a day early for a contractor meeting to address the state concerns regarding training and expectations. Further discussions will encourage earlier communication between contractor and state. Both companies and buyers are requesting information prior to committing to an event.

Early Recruitment: A best practices draft “Global Connect Event Recruitment Timeline” was compiled and sent to all SMOs for review prior to the Summer Meeting. The draft was approved and will be implemented 1/1/2017. It is a suggested guideline to assist PMs in early recruitment. States are highly encouraged to recruit as early as possible to allow companies sufficient planning time. It is requested that recruitments include dates and locations of the event and value-added services provided by attending. The Timeline can be found on page 18 of the Global Connect Manual. 

Interns: States are encouraged to utilize the $12,000 of allotted FAS funds per state/per year toward internships. Now that school is back in session it is a great time to start the interview process. WUSATA Intern Program details can be found on pages 11-13 of the Global Connect Manual on the WUSATA website.

State Contributions: As a reminder, please submit your State Contribution which is available through your MyWUSATA account under the Surveys tile. Any time spent (up to 8 hours per day) conducting WUSATA business can be included: traveling to/from activities, conference calls, scheduling, recruitment, preparation for missions, etc.

Surveys: In an attempt to provide better education regarding our evaluation processes, we ask that before any event takes place, each project manager please either:

1) conduct a brief meeting with all of your companies face-to-face, or

2) reach out individually during your coordination and planning efforts so all companies are aware of WUSATA’s evaluation process and that it is a requirement and an imperative part of their participation.

We believe this will assist in our efforts to obtain a quick and early response to our evaluation efforts. Survey results that are received in a timely manner help WUSATA to gather performance measures more efficiently, which helps us to ensure we remain one of the top allocated/funded cooperators. Companies that repeatedly do not complete event surveys will be locked out of registering for future WUSATA events.

Trade Show Rotation: Following the Summer Meeting, changes have been made to the Trade Show Rotation schedule.

• For 2017 ANUGA, Julie Johnson will replace Rianne Perry as lead PM
• For HOFEX 2017, Rianne Perry has replaced Rebecca Weber
• Idaho has been added to the Gulfood rotation, beginning 2022
• Idaho was removed from SIAL China 2018/2019 rotation
• Oregon (Theresa Yoshioka) has replaced the SIAL China 2018/2019 position
• Oregon has been removed from the 2018/2019 HOFEX/FHA rotation
• Hawaii has replaced the 2018/2019 HOFEX/FHA position

All of these changes can be found in your MyWUSATA account under the Operations tile.

US Company Education: To ensure that companies attending missions are solidly export ready, WUSATA would like to emphasize the importance of company education, before and after event participation. To achieve this, WUSATA and the states should ensure the company participants have appropriate expectations from buyer meetings, and that their products match the buyers’ interests.

Compliance Review

Our annual compliance review took place last month and it went very smoothly. We have a few key points regarding M&IE to share with you.

M&IE PM Payments: State Project Managers will start receiving direct M&IE payments for any difference between the state and federal per diem rates. Please continue submitting your claims as you have been; WUSATA will process the difference separately, as the payment will be sent to your home address. If you have any questions, please contact the Global Connect department.

M&IE International Calculations: When crossing the International Date Line, the actual elapsed travel time will be used to compute per diem rather than calendar days. The first two calendar days should be treated as one, receiving 75% of the daily per diem. The last day is calculated at 1.75% (using the rate of the international city you departed from) to recover the day lost during travel. Every day in between is calculated as a local calendar day.

Winter Meeting Prep

Country Progress Reports (CPR): Consider writing your CPRs now for all closed activities while everything is fresh in your mind. Watch your email for formatting instructions from the WUSATA Global Connect Team in November with a deadline of January 5th.

Country Work Groups: You should have received an email from Sandy Quintero on September 12, 2016 requesting the Winter Meeting Break-Out Groups you want to attend and the Country Work Groups you wish to be a part of in 2017. If you have not yet responded, please submit your choices at your earliest convenience. 

Program Notes

Annual Winter Meeting: Save the date! January 25-27, 2017 at WUSATA headquarters in Vancouver, WA. More information to follow via email.

EuroMonitor: WUSATA has a new EuroMonitor Account Manager, Patti LaGuire, who is ready to assist in any way. She can be reached at patti.laguire@euromonitor.com or 312-477-8932.

Welcome!

State Marketing Official:

WUSATA Staff Member:

Farewell

Please join WUSATA in wishing Cody Bainter the best in her future endeavors. The Wyoming Business Council will notify us when her position has been filled.