Gary Rand is Director of the International Trade Administration’s International Buyer Program.

The International Buyer Program can help you maximize export opportunities at trade shows.

Your U.S. company may be looking to export but not know where to start. Good news: your chances of finding the right international business partner greatly increase by participating in a trade show that has been selected as a venue for the International Buyer Program (IBP).

Our program brings thousands of pre-screened international buyers to U.S. trade shows. So at an IBP-certified event, you’ll not only meet more international buyers, representatives and distributors, but your products and services will also be listed in the Export Interest Directory distributed to all international visitors to the show.

This makes your company and your products easy to find for potential customers. That will help you make more contacts, and maybe even more sales.

In addition to assistance from our experienced staff, you will also have access to an on-site International Trade Center, where your company can meet privately with prospective international buyers, sales representatives and business partners.

I am pleased to announce the 26 U.S. trade shows in 2014 to which the International Buyer Program (IBP) will bring prospective international buyers. Thanks to our rigorous competitive selection process, I am confident these 26 shows will provide excellent business-to-business (B2B) matchmaking venues for U.S. companies looking to expand their international sales to new markets, or to start exporting.

For those U.S. companies planning to exhibit at any of these shows, the IBP is a great way to maximize your trade show investment.

Some advantages of the IBP include:

U.S. companies meet pre-screened prospective buyers from around the world all in one domestic venue.

Last year the IBP recruited over 10,800 prospective buyers from international markets, resulting in 3,860 B2B and business-to-government sessions.

New online business matchmaking software program connects U.S. companies and foreign buyers, enabling them to contact each other and schedule meetings prior to the show.

The International Buyer Program is a joint government-industry effort designed to increase U.S. export sales by promoting international attendance at major U.S. industry exhibitions. The IBP provides practical, hands-on assistance to U.S. exhibitors interested in exporting and making contacts with prospective overseas trade partners. This assistance includes export counseling, marketing analysis, and matchmaking services.

To learn more about our events and how they can help you, follow the International Buyer Program on Twitter or contact us with any questions.