WTCA members gathered in New York to explore innovative strategies and strengthen partnerships that will enhance international business 

NEW YORK, NY ( November 12, 2024) — World Trade Centers Association® (WTCA®), an international trade organization connecting more than 300 World Trade Center® (WTC®) locations in nearly 100 countries, held its 2024 WTCA Member Forum from October 27-29 in New York City. The three-day event attracted nearly 145 attendees, including 45 first-time attendees, who gathered to participate from nearly 80 unique WTC businesses representing 26 countries and territories around the world. Under the theme “PIONEER the Global Network: Pathways for Innovation, Opportunity, Networking, Empowerment, Excellence, and Resilience,” this year’s event brought together WTCA members for panel discussions and presentations, providing essential tools to navigate the ever-changing global business landscape. Sessions delved into emerging trends in global business, along with best practices and collaborative opportunities across markets, offering actionable insights to help members strengthen their roles locally and elevate WTCA’s global influence.

Highlights from this year’s Member Forum included presentations on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as “AI in Global Trade: A Fireside Chat on Navigating the Future of International Business” and “Transform Your WTC Business with AI,” both of which explored AI’s transformative potential in global trade and business growth at all scales. The event also featured discussions on bridging generational divides, empowering female leaders, building resilient communities and leveraging data. It concluded with the WTCA North America Regional Meeting, uniting members to advance WTCA’s regional goals.

“The annual Member Forum is really a key event that keeps us all together as a network and as a family. It is always interesting to learn from each of the WTC businesses — about what they are doing in their local regions and how it impacts the association,” said John E. Drew, WTCA Chair, Board of Directors. “WTCA is highly adaptable, as shown by the diversity of new member businesses in our network, and this year’s event focused on the fantastic new and diverse business models, ideas and services being offered across the association. As we celebrate WTCA’s 55^th anniversary this year, I couldn’t be more thrilled to see how this association continues to grow and adapt to the evolving needs of various industries and shifting economies in the years to come.”

The "Road to 500" initiative, WTCA’s strategic vision focused on expanding its global Membership to 500 WTC locations over the next decade, was a central focus of discussions at this year’s event. A key session, “The Road to 500: WTC Free Trade Zones,” highlighted the far-reaching expansion of Free Trade Zones and Special Economic Zones globally, and how WTCA is actively developing partnerships with these trade zone entities in support of its membership goal. The Association also welcomed eight new WTCA Members including WTC AMTZ, WTC Future City, WTC Hinjawadi, WTC Jeju, WTC Osaka, WTC Pittsburgh, WTC Sarajevo and WTC Tokyo, in which several presented their new projects that aim to boost economic development within their regions through the power of the global WTCA network.

Attendees also took time to celebrate the achievements of members that became WTCA accredited over the past year, including WTC Chennai, WTC Cyprus, WTC Kuala Lumpur, WTC Monterrey, WTC Montevideo, WTC Suzhou, WTC Taipei, WTC Trieste and WTC Twente. These members underwent the rigorous WTCA Accreditation program that provides formal validation of a WTC business’ commitment to excellence within the network and beyond.

The 2024 WTCA Member Forum also marked the official countdown to the highly anticipated 55th Annual WTCA Global Business Forum (GBF), which will be hosted April 6-9, 2025 by WTC Marseille Provence in Marseille, France. The 2025 WTCA GBF theme, “Gateway to the Mediterranean,” highlights the region’s pivotal role in connecting global trade and innovation, with a focus on strategic access to Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Attendees will explore new markets, participate in exclusive sessions, and forge partnerships while leveraging WTCA’s global network to drive business growth.

“The 2024 Member Forum was a remarkable success in reconnecting with fellow colleagues, fostering new partnerships and discovering business opportunities amongst our members,” said Crystal Edn, WTCA Executive Director of Member Services. “We were proud to highlight the achievements of our members over the past year, showcasing the incredible impact they have both within their communities and on the international stage. As we look forward to gathering in Marseille, France for the upcoming GBF, we are excited to see how these collaborations will continue to evolve and drive new business opportunities for organizations our global network serves.”

About World Trade Centers Association (WTCA)
World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) is a network of more than 300 highly connected, mutually supporting businesses and organizations in nearly 100 countries. As the owner of the “World Trade Center” and “WTC” trademarks, WTCA licenses exclusive rights to these brands for Members to use in conjunction with their independently owned, iconic properties, facilities and trade services offerings. Through a robust portfolio of events, programming and resources that it offers its Members, the goal of WTCA is to help local economies thrive by encouraging and facilitating trade and investment across the globe, creating an ecosystem built around commerce, community and connection. To learn more, visit www.wtca.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

World Trade Centers Association (WTCA)

Chanelle Dimalanta

Phone: +1 212 432 2644

Email: cdimalanta@wtca.org

Violet PR

Kate Traina

Phone: +1 908 967 2117

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Xiamen and Beijing, China (October 2, 2024 ) — World Trade Centers Association® (WTCA®) — a global network of more than 300 highly-connected, mutually supportive businesses and organizations across nearly 100 countries/territories — recently presented at two leading international platforms in trade and investment —the 2024 China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) held in Xiamen, China from September 7-11, 2024 and the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) held in Beijing, China from September 12-16, 2024.

CIFIT focuses on connecting investors, traders, service providers and government agencies to China and the rest of the world, and is hosted annually by the China Ministry of Commerce. WTCA has also participated in CIFIT for the past 13 consecutive years via trade missions and forums to provide its global membership base and business network access to the Chinese market.

During this year’s CIFIT, WTCA co-hosted the “Gulangyu Forum 2024: World Business Leaders Roundtable for Global Investment” — with the theme of Investment Strategy in the Context of Globalization — in partnership with the Xiamen Municipal Government, CCPIT Fujian, and CCPIT Xiamen/WTC Xiamen. The Forum, previously known as the “World Business Leaders’ Roundtable,” has been successfully held annually for the past 23 editions and this year marked the 10 ^th consecutive year that WTCA has co-hosted the event.

Immediately following CIFIT, WTCA participated in CIFTIS — an event focusing on fast-growing and emerging areas of service trade hosted annually by the China Ministry of Commerce and Beijing Municipal Government. Since 2016, WTCA has served as an official international partner of CIFTIS to co-organize forums with the participation of WTCA members.

During this year’s CIFTIS event, WTCA co-hosted the “2024 Seminar on International B2B Cooperation” with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization's Office for Investment and Technology Promotion (Beijing, China) and the Beijing Association for Trade in Services in an effort to bring more global projects and facilitate B2B meetings at CIFTIS. WTCA also co-hosted the “International Consumption Global Trends Conference” in partnership with the China General Chamber of Commerce, Beijing Commercial Association, Beijing Association for Trade in Services, and China Federation of Economic Media, gathering an impressive lineup of experts and business leaders to discuss the momentum and trends in consumption sectors.

Scott Wang, WTCA Vice President, Asia Pacific, attended both fairs and delivered opening remarks. He was interviewed and featured by multiple Chinese media to share insights about WTCA as well as international trade and investment.

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