Present at Chambers' Day 2019, the Swiss Arab Entrepreneurs platform enjoyed an active participation, we present below a coverage of this first event of its kind in Geneva.
It is in front of the famous Geneva water jet, in the prestigious Kempinski hotel, that the first world day of the chambers of commerce was held, on November 26, 2019. Initiated by the Geneva Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIG), with which other joint chambers of commerce are associated such as the chamber of commerce France-Switzerland, Italy-Switzerland, UK-Switzerland and Switzerland-China. This day is a unique event. It brought together some 450 entrepreneurs, nearly 30 chambers of commerce and 20 speakers, renowned leaders from the private, public and international organizations such as the International Trade Center (ITC), the World Trade Organization (WTO) or the centenary International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), all based in Geneva.
It is indeed no coincidence that Chambers' Day chose Geneva: the headquarter of many institutions on the international economic scene and a numerous chambers of commerce, it is a real center of global economic multilateralism and the “Hub of chambers of commerce” according to the words of Vincent Subilia, director of the CCIG. It was the ideal place to bring together private and institutional economic actors within the same platform to facilitate exchange.
Exchange platform
Exchange is the key word for this day. A whole area was dedicated to it: the Village of Chambers, dedicated to provide information and to create contacts with chambers of commerce. Experts in their respective markets, and each having several hundred or even thousands of member companies, they offer a multiplier effect to networking for entrepreneurs who also came to do business at Chambers' Day.
In search of new leads, a dedicated application allowed them to schedule 15-minute interviews with the companies present. Also approached by several entrepreneurs, the Swiss Arab Entrepreneurs platform was able to initiate discussions with several operators located in particular in North Africa and the Middle East, such as the logistics company Aramex SA or the airline company Emirates.
Part of the day was also devoted to the presentation of specific markets. Representatives of binational, regional or international chambers of commerce were able to highlight the strengths of their markets and provide participants with insights into the investment and marketing prospects in around ten regions.
Emerging countries: markets to explore
In addition to France, Italy and UK, the program has given pride of place to emerging markets, with market pitches on China, Brazil and Eurasia. Under the title “The next growth frontier, Africa”, in which several countries are experiencing among the fastest growing economies in the world, was also in the spotlight. Director of the Swiss-African Business Circle (SABC), Michael Rheinegger highlighted trends on the continent: high level of exports to emerging countries, notable improvements in the framework conditions for trade and regional integration favored by the creation of the new free trade area of continental Africa (AfCFTA). As experts say, intra-regional trade between companies in emerging countries will shape international trade flows in the decades to come.
Alongside the SABC, we note the participation of the Africa-Switzerland Business Club as well as representatives of several joint chambers of commerce and indutrie such as the union of the Switzerland-Russia chambers of commerce and the Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce.
Tools to access international trade
Undoubtedly, they will have listened attentively to the intervention of Arancha Gonzalez, director of the International Trade Center (ITC), on the investment prospects in the globalized world of business, and above all, to regarding the support provided by ITC to the international competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in particular in emerging countries, such as in Palestine, of which it cited the example.
To this end, ITC has developed several market analysis tools forming one of the most extensive databases in the world, including information on more than 220 countries and 5,300 import-export products. These market tools provide essential information for entrepreneurs to identify business opportunities, monitor supply and demand trends and compare market access conditions. ITC is currently developing a global online portal (Global Trade Helpdesk) to provide all tariff data and non-tariff measures, market by market.
Chambers of commerce serving entrepreneurs
Supporting entrepreneurs, like ITC, is also at the heart of the mandate of chambers of commerce. Real partners and business facilitators, they offer a whole range of services to companies to connect them to new opportunities, both locally and internationally. They also help to make the voice of economic players, too small to influence public policies, even though they represent more than 95% of the entrepreneurial community and more than 60% of jobs in any economy. They thus promote the interests of the business community in the political sphere and defend the business-friendly framework conditions.
Grâce à la puissance de leurs réseaux, la diversité de leurs activités et services et l'expertise pointue de leurs marchés respectifs, la valeur ajoutée des chambres de commerce est indéniable. Les fédérer était l'un des objectifs que s'étaient donnés les organisateurs de la Chambers' Day. Voilà ce défi relevé.
Thanks to the power of their networks, the diversity of their activities and services and the cutting-edge expertise of their respective markets, the added value of chambers of commerce is undeniable. Federating them was one of the objectives that the organizers of the Chambers' Day had set for themselves. It is a worthy challenge.
