Trade Expo to Have Online Buyers

A virtual international trade expo to promote Indonesia’s prized export products is being organized, with overseas buyers to attend online.

DOKUMENTASI BIRO HUMAS KEMENTERIAN PERDAGANGAN

Minister of Trade Agus Suparmanto (center) explains the online system that will be implemented at the Trade Expo Indonesia Virtual Exhibition (TEI VE 2020) at the Auditorium of the Ministry of Trade, Monday (21/9/2020).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The government is making preparations to invite overseas business players and industrialists to the Trade Expo Indonesia Virtual Exhibition (TEI-VE 2020) on 10-16 November. Meanwhile, Indonesian trade representatives stationed in foreign countries are arranging the attendance of buyers from abroad to explore business deals and make transactions during the online expo.

Prior to launching the virtual exhibition, National Export Development Director-General Kasan Muhri of the Trade Ministry said that the ministry had communicated with several Indonesian trade offices abroad regarding the TEI-VE 2020. The expo was usually held in a conventional manner at a physical venue.

“The transformation into a virtual event is a strategic effort to hold this annual trade exhibition on a global scale amid the Covid-19 pandemic,” Kasan said after leading the virtual launch of TEI-VE 2020 in Jakarta on Monday (21/9/2020).

The transformation into a virtual event is a strategic effort to hold this annual trade exhibition on a global scale amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Around two weeks before the launch Kusuma Dewi, who heads the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) in Busan, South Korea, said that the center had promoted the TEI-VE 2020 to its network of local business partners, comprising 30-40 businesspeople.

She later planned to provide training programs and guidance to local businesspeople so they could become familiar with and feel comfortable doing business through a virtual exhibition. “The virtual exhibition is something new. We have to facilitate their participation so [they become] familiar with this [format],” she said when contacted on Monday.

Dewi added that South Korean consumers were currently looking at food and beverage products from Indonesia, including prepackaged, ready-to-serve products. Indonesian businesses interested in supplying the Korean market were expected to learn about local product standards and regulations, which were posted on the ITPC Busan website.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

Furniture products are exhibited at the 2019 Trade Expo Indonesia at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition, BSD City, Tangerang, Banten, Wednesday (16/10/2019).

Meanwhile, Indonesian Trade Attache Arief Wibisono in Tokyo, Japan, said that his office had emailed local business partners about the TEI-VE 2020. He had also promoted the virtual trade expo at several programs held by business organizations and industry associations, such as the Asia Japan Center.

To complement the expo’s digital channel, Arief also planned to pay a visit to individual business partners. As Japan was entering an aging demographic period, a number of entrepreneurs were still unfamiliar with online communication.

To raise awareness among Indonesian businesspeople of Japanese market demand, Arief said, local experts and business players were being invited to take part in several webinars. The series of webinars were expected to help facilitate transactions during the 2020 trade expo.

Coffee and tea

The TEI 2019 recorded US$10.96 billion in total transactions, 29.01 percent higher than the TEI 2018. A total of 42,700 visitors from 136 countries attended last year’s expo.

“We hope that at least 300 domestic participants will take part in the TEI-VE 2020. The total number of visitors to this year’s virtual exhibition, local as well as foreign, will hopefully at least be the same as last year’s,” said Kasan.

We hope that at least 300 domestic participants will take part in the TEI-VE 2020.

KBRI KAIRO

Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt Helmy Fauzy (two from the left) received a souvenir from the CEO of Indonesian Coffee Shop Mohamed Sobhi during the inauguration of the coffee shop in Alexandria, Egypt, Saturday (22/8/2020).

The exhibition spaces and booths of the TEI-VE 2020 will be digitally designed to resemble the conventional TEI format. The prized export products to be presented at the exhibition come from the food and beverages, handicraft, garment and accessories as well as construction sectors. The two major prized export products of Indonesia, coffee and tea, will also be on display and marketed.

At the TEI 2019, these two products earned international awards. Indonesian coffee won the International AVPA France Gourmet Award 2019 for Coffees Locally Roasted in their Country of Origin. The award was granted to 11 coffee brands: Anomali, Eksportir Kopi Indonesia, Gayobies Kopi Nite, Bermani Coffee, Ciragi Kintamani, Bencoolen, My Kopi-O, CoffeeHQ, Kultur Haus, Kawi Sari Coffee and Kopi Gunung Wangun Dua. Indonesian tea brand Bankitwangi won an award in the Teas of the World competition.

General Chairman Rosan P. Roeslani of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that the TEI was awaited among chambers of commerce and industry in the world.

“We hope it can penetrate nontraditional markets like countries in the Middle East and Africa,” he added.