MMA ship to take Maine products abroad

BANGOR – Small and medium-sized Maine businesses looking to develop an international market will have a rare opportunity this summer to reach potential clients.

As part of its annual six-week summer training cruise, Maine Maritime Academy’s State of Maine training vessel will make stops in Antwerp, Belgium, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, to market Maine products as part of MMA’s Floating Trade Show.

Organized by the academy and the Maine International Trade Center, the trade show is an inexpensive way to reach foreign buyers, according to trade specialist Carolina Quiroz.

“For a company to market itself overseas can be very costly, because it requires following procedures with customs, sending samples and the initial work to build relationships with customers,” Quiroz said recently. “This trade show will do all of that for them.”

Before departure of the cruise on May 11, companies will submit sample products along with information about the products and their companies, Quiroz said. During scheduled stops in Antwerp and Halifax, local guests and potential buyers will be invited aboard the ship for a reception to try out or sample products and watch videos about the state of Maine, Quiroz said.

In the past, products have included traditional Maine gifts, such as jams, canned food, wood products, jewelry and pottery, although any company that manufactures consumer goods is welcome to participate, she said.

A trade specialist and a representative of Maine will be on hand during the reception to field questions about the products, Quiroz said. Between 130 and 150 guests are expected to attend each event.

“This isn’t an opportunity that comes up every year,” Quiroz said, adding that the last floating trade show with MMA occurred in 1998. “This is a very convenient way to build a new market.”

The fee is $125 for MITC members or $175 for nonmembers. The fee covers shipping and promotion of the products at the receptions. In addition, the fee helps cover the cost of producing a customized list of possible trading partners and guests in the reception cities, Quiroz said.

“If we had a company that planned on displaying wood products, we would try to invite potential buyers for those products in Halifax and Antwerp,” Quiroz said.

Potential buyers also will receive a directory of participating businesses and their important information, Quiroz said.

To have products included in the trade show, a company only needs to submit the fee, pamphlets or other information about its products and contact Quiroz about the types of the products.

“There are some space limitations,” Quiroz said. “It’s much easier for a company to call and talk to us about what they’re manufacturing and then we can discuss how much.”

The deadline for joining the trade show is April 18. For information, call Quiroz at 990-3161 or contact her by e-mail at quiroz@mitc.com.