In 2011, Washington State was the largest United States exporter of domestic goods to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) — America’s largest export destination in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This week, the Seattle metropolitan area welcomed a senior corporate delegation from the U.A.E. that is currently on a five-city trade mission to key U.S. markets. While in Seattle, the delegation attended a day-long conference on Monday hosted by the U.S. Commercial Service in partnership with the National U.S-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) and the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council. The event brought together senior delegates from the U.A.E. and numerous American executives from companies in Washington and around the U.S. for a day of corporate briefings, events, and networking opportunities. The ‘USA Roadshow’ has already visited: New York City, New York; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The delegation is being led by Robert Bannerman, Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Dubai.

The conference was anchored by a luncheon held in honor of the delegation, hosted by NUSACC and the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, featuring remarks from His Excellency Hisham Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of the Private Office of Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmad Al Maktoum in Dubai, and Councilmember Sally Clark, President of the Seattle City Council.

Executive Vice President of NUSACC Curt Silvers and Vice President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Colin Rutherford provided opening remarks at the lunch and underscored the significance of the delegation’s mission to cultivate lasting relationships and understanding with executives from American firms.

Following comments by Silvers and Rutherford, Robert Bannerman provided welcome remarks, emphasizing the U.S. Commercial Service’s commitment to supporting the U.S. Government’s initiative to support American jobs and industry through boosting exports and international commerce with the U.A.E. and other key partners around the world.

Councilmember Clark welcomed the delegation and highlighted the strong economic and cultural ties that exist between the U.A.E. and the Seattle area as well as the city’s eagerness to further strengthen the relationship moving forward.

“I welcome the Dubai & the Northern Emirates USA Road Show to Seattle,” said Councilmember Clark. “My hope is our conversations will further strengthen the relationship our regions have forged through activities like the 2009 Seattle Leadership mission to Dubai and the launch of the Emirates Airline direct route.”

Following her speech, Councilmember Clark introduced H.E. Hisham Al Gurg to give his keynote address.

“The Seattle area is a truly dynamic and innovative region of the United States and home to many global businesses that hold the same corporate values as our companies in the U.A.E.,” said Al Gurg. “Our delegation is honored and pleased to have the opportunity to make such important connections during our trip with business leaders here in Washington and across the United States.”

The international business conference kicked off Monday morning with welcome remarks by the U.S. Consulate in Dubai’s Robert Bannerman, NUSACC’s Curt Silvers, and Colin Rutherford of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council. In their welcome remarks, the co-hosts introduced the delegation to the U.S. audience and provided context to the significance of the delegation’s visit to the Seattle metropolitan area.

After the words of welcome, members of the U.A.E. delegation and Talal Kaissi, Chief of Staff of the Trade & Commercial Office at the U.A.E. Embassy, initiated a panel discussion on the corporate climate, national infrastructure, and social culture in the U.A.E. The panel was moderated by David Woodward, President of Associates in the American Cultural Exchange (A.C.E.), and it focused mainly on business opportunities in the Northern Emirates of Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, and Sharjah. After the formal program, Woodward opened the floor to the audience to ask questions, providing a forum to engage in an open discussion with the panel of U.A.E. representatives.

After the morning panel, several other members of the U.A.E. delegation made individual presentations to the audience, highlighting their specific business plans and industry objectives. In delivering presentations, each delegate provided the audience with a unique perspective on the potential and viability of partnerships and investment in the U.A.E.

Following both the morning and the luncheon program, conference attendees were able to ask the delegation specific questions and engage them in conversation openly. After the luncheon, the delegation attended targeted meetings and business-to-business matchmaking sessions.

The delegation’s stay included site visits to two commercial landmarks in the Seattle metropolitan area — a Sunday tour on Sunday of Boeing’s aircraft manufacturing facility in Everett and a trip to the headquarters of Microsoft in Redmond on Tuesday.

The largest city in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle is a leader in such sectors as aerospace & defense, information & communications technology (ICT), and consumer/retail. Seattle is one of America’s most successful entrepreneurial ecosystems and a hotbed for start-up businesses, particularly in high tech and sustainable energy. Seattle’s boasts a number of important tourist sites, the most famous of which is the Space Needle, a 604-foot (184-meter) tower that was built in 1962 for the Seattle World’s Fair (also known as the “Century 21 Exposition”). Some of the top companies in the Seattle area include Alaska Airlines, Amazon, Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Paccar, Starbucks, T-Mobile USA, and Weyerhaeuser.

The ‘Dubai & the Northern Emirates – USA Roadshow’ is organized by the Commercial Service at the U.S. Consulate in Dubai in partnership with the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) and the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council and supported by the Trade & Commercial Office at the Embassy of the U.A.E. in Washington, D.C. After Seattle, the delegation will travel to Dallas/Fort Worth before returning to the United Arab Emirates later this week.

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About the U.S. Commercial Service:

The U.S. Commercial Service is the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. U.S. Commercial Service trade professionals in over 100 U.S. cities and in more than 75 countries help U.S. companies get started in exporting or increase sales to new global markets.

Website: www.trade.gov/cs

About the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce:

The National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC), established over 40 years ago, is America’s longest serving organization dedicated to U.S.-Arab business. NUSACC is widely regarded as the voice of American business in the Arab world and the premier private sector portal to the United States for Arab commercial enterprises.

The National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce is the only business entity in the United States that is officially recognized and sanctioned by the League of Arab States and the General Union of Arab Chambers of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture. As such, NUSACC is a “sister chamber” and partner to the national chambers of commerce throughout the Arab world.

Website: www.nusacc.org

About the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council:

The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council is a progressive business advocacy organization solely committed to the advancement of the trade and commercial relationship between the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The Business Council actively works to ensure that the U.S. and U.A.E. remain attractive destinations for foreign direct investment by conducting effective policy advocacy, undertaking various trade promotion initiatives, providing ongoing updates on the business climate in both countries, and helping develop strategic relationships between U.S. and U.A.E. business and government officials.

Website: www.usuaebusiness.org