Flash Mob and More Centrallia Videos

Stories and memories from Centrallia 2012 are still rolling in from earlier in October. We've decided to share a few of our video memories with everyone by posting a few clips here to our blog. If you have a Centrallia story you'd like to share, we invite you to send it to us at info@animcanada.com

You can find all current and past Centrallia videos on our YouTube page by visiting youtube.com/centralliacanada

Enjoy!

We captured the Friday Flash Mob at Centrallia, have a look!

An interview Centrallia speaker Colin Osborne, President and CEO of Vicwest Inc.

Success Stories from Day 2 at Centrallia 2012

Importing for your Small Business?

Centrallia looks to enable communications between businesses from around the world to help create opportunities for trade. For many businesses, this includes the importing and exporting of goods.

The Small Business Blog's Guest Blogger, Matthew Moore, wrote a piece last week titled How to Stay Competitive by Importing Your Goods from Abroad. The article provides some perspective for small business owners considering the pros and cons of importing goods. See an excerpt from the article below.

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As the recession continues, being able to stay competitive is an absolute necessity in the current economic climate. If you’re in the retail industry one such way of staying competitive is through importing goods from abroad. Overseas suppliers can cut costs by a huge margin, in some cases by as much as 60%. This means lower costs for you and savings that you can pass onto your customers.

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To read the rest of the article, please follow the link below.

http://sme-blog.com/guest-blog/how-to-stay-competitive-by-importing-your-goods-from-abroad?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-stay-competitive-by-importing-your-goods-from-abroad

6 Reasons You Need to Attend Centrallia!

1. It’s Efficient.

Centrallia is concentrated prospecting for your business. Here you’ll find – in one place – the companies you want to talk to and the international trade experts you need to speak to, to help your business grow internationally.

2. You Can Do Business On the Spot.

Companies send only top level representatives to Centrallia; people who are often the same ones who sign the contracts. As such it is possible to conduct real business at the event.

3. It’s Cost Effective.

Compared to the cost of your typical business trip, Centrallia delivers excellent value for your business development dollar. In just one trip, you’ll meet up to 14 new pre-qualified companies that are eager to explore new opportunities with you. Just one new deal can pay for your trip many  times over. 

4. You’re Supported.

While at Centrallia you’ll also have access to international trade experts, representatives and service providers who can help you navigate the intricacies of importing and exporting. You’ll also have access to translation services (English, French, Spanish) for every meeting, if required.

5. The Perfect Location.

Located at the centre of the continent with exceptional air, rail, road and sea transportation links, Manitoba provides the perfect access point to and from North America for international trade. Find out more about Manitoba’s trade advantages at centrallia.com.

6. It Works!

With fully 83% of Centrallia 2010 participants reporting that Centrallia resulted in new business for their companies (and 92% saying they would come again), chances are that you will walk away with at least one or two new deals in the works. Seldom have the odds been so much in your favour.

See you in Winnipeg!
Visit Centrallia on Facebook: facebook.com/centrallia

"Doing Business in Canada" Seminar Returns

Highly popular with our international participants, the seminar “Doing Business in Canada”, included in the registration cost, will once again be conducted by the Winnipeg based law firm, Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP, a full service Canadian law firm for businesses. Designed to help prevent international companies from making costly or time-consuming mistakes, the seminar will cover issues related to Business Immigration, Corporate and Personal Tax, Labour and Employment as well as Protection of Intellectual Property and the benefits of various corporate structure options in Canada.

“If you have never done business in Canada before, or even if you have, we have put together a great line up of people with experience and ideas which are designed to ensure that you are successful in your business venture. The focus of this seminar is to help you achieve your business objectives and to connect you with experts who can help you." said Antoine Hacault, partner at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman.

In addition to speakers from Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, the seminar will also feature experts from the government and private sector speaking on law related issues for intellectual property, government regulation and finance. Lawyers who are fluent in French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian will also be present.

Click here for more information.

Winnipeg's World Trade Centre

April 2012 was a very exciting time for Centrallia and its core partners: ANIM, Manitoba's Bilingual Trade Agency and The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. Winnipeg's application for the establishment of bilingual World Trade Centre in Winnipeg was successfully licensed and approved!

Winnipeg receives approval for a World Trade Centre

Mariette Mulaire, President and CEO of ANIM, is very enthusiastic about the new doors that will open for Winnipeg thanks to this status. “With the Centrallia global business forum, not only did we broaden our worldwide connections we also found a key partner in the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce,” explains Mulaire.

“Building a bilingual World Trade Centre is a bold idea that we knew we could achieve through our association: ANIM brings its international experience and a network of more than 70 international economic development agencies, industry associations and chambers of commerce, and The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce will secure and manage the World Trade Centre location so it becomes a focal point for Central Canada’s international trade community and a valuable resource to its local members.”

Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Dave Angus, certainly shares in the excitement. "This is a tremendous opportunity for Winnipeg as well as for Manitoba businesses since a World Trade Centre (WTC) provides businesses with access to a diverse array of state-of-the-art trade services, enabling them to increase their international sales."

The World Trade Centers Association established in 1968 was born out of a studied need to create facilities that would serve as focal points for the convenience of the promotion of international commerce. There are currently more than 320 World Trade Centers in 96 countries.

Centrallia will be hosted by Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from October 10-12, 2012.

Is International Business for You?

Globalization trends continue to bring businesses together from around the world to meet, trade and grow. As companies learn from each other and gain experience in the international marketplace, groups that have traditionally focused on local economies are beginning to expand their scope. Smaller businesses are finding avenues for growth through new deals with foreign companies, and Winnipeg is listening.

The Canadian economy is one of the strongest in the world and looks to continue this growth as more private companies and public corporations are capitalizing on opportunities from outside the country. Some companies have shifted their development towards new global market, while others look to gain knowledge through establishing new partnerships.

Starting a dialogue is the first step in expanding this horizon. The idea of bringing Canadian ingenuity - both in goods and services - to new people and new places is exciting and can mean great returns for our businesses while providing a new alternative for international clients. Whatever your industry, it is worth exploring how importing and exporting with international partners can provide growth for your business.

The global business to business forum at Centrallia looks to enable these types of relationships for Manitoba businesses and establish valuable connections in new markets and in different regions. Learn more about International Business and what benefits your business can gain from Centrallia 2012!

Centrallia's Key Note Speaker - Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell has developed an amazing knack for taking new ideas and concepts from the social sciences and uncovering practical lessons to be learned that are valuable to business, captivating to thinkers, and truly entertaining to read. He manages to present his readers with some sort of phenomenon, explained through a series of anecdotes, intrigues the reader, and then speculates on how this new knowledge can influence change.

Born in the UK, Malcolm is a Canadian national, raised in Kingston, Ontario. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto: Trinity College, and was appointed to the Order of Canada last summer.

Gladwell has become so successful that, in 2005, Time Magazine named Gladwell one of its 100 Most Influential People. He was chosen for Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers 2010 and 2009 list, and is ranked number 10 on The Thinkers 50, 2011.


An accomplished staff writer with The New Yorker since 1996, Gladwell has published four non-fiction works, all of which have become New York Times Bestsellers.

Gladwell's books are wonderfully readable 

Do you recognize these titles?
The Tipping Point          (2000)
Blink                              (2005)
Outliers                         (2008)
What the Dog Saw        (2009)


For tickets to see Malcom speak at Centrallia 2012 , visit Ticketmaster here