This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Aaron Zitzelsberger, senior director of global trade and investment for WEDC.
Zitzelsberger discusses the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s international trade missions program, which recently announced its slate of destinations planned for this year and the next. The agency is coordinating trips in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East for Wisconsin businesses looking to reach new markets.
“Whether you are a company in Wisconsin that is looking for customers or distributors to help you expand your global reach — or maybe you’re looking for both — WEDC’s targeted trade missions are going to help you build those relationships necessary to increase your international sales.”
Participants receive a briefing from the agency’s market development specialists, and also work with authorized trade representatives in the target country to create a customized meeting schedule for the trade mission.
Zitzelsberger says “there’s really nothing like being in-country, having boots on the ground” when it comes to building business relationships and doing product demonstrations. Organizers aim to get participants in two to four meetings per day while providing logistical support, transportation and interpreter services.
The conversation highlights how some of the trade mission destinations were chosen, creating possible opportunities for businesses within specific sectors such as aerospace and medical devices.
“I’m sure that there is something that is going to be there that’s going to be of interest to many companies,” he said.
The trade mission schedule includes: United Kingdom, July 21-26; Australia, Nov. 1-9; United Arab Emirates, Jan. 25-Feb. 1, 2025; Mexico, Feb. 23-28, 2025; China, March 2025; Canada, April 6-11, 2025; and Switzerland and Germany, May 18-24, 2025.
Listen to the podcast below, sponsored by UW-Madison:
