About
Discover Global Markets business development forum is the U.S. Department of Commerce's annual flagship event series for U.S. exporters!
Join us for the day in Columbia, SC, where you will have the opportunity to:
- Gain market insights from U.S. commercial diplomats and industry experts based at U.S. Embassies in the Americas.
- Participate in one-on-one meetings with U.S. government trade experts and other exporters.
- Hear from private sector thought leaders about emerging sectors, and regional strategies.
- Learn about updates to polices and regulations in the region relevant to your market growth.
Network, network, network!
REGISTRATION OPENS JULY 15
Compelling Reasons to do Business in the Region
- Close Proximity - The Western Hemisphere region is a natural commercial partner of the United States, tied closely together by geography, history, and culture.
- Largest Regional Market for U.S. Exports – The United States trades more with the Americas than any other region of the world. In 2023, over $867 billion of U.S. merchandise exports went to the Western Hemisphere and trade with the region supports more than 3.2 million U.S. jobs (2021). Forty three percent of all U.S. merchandise exports flow to the Western Hemisphere.
- Free Trade Agreements - Twelve of our twenty free trade agreement partners are in the Western Hemisphere. In addition to tariff reduction, free trade agreements also liberalize the services sectors and strengthen protections for U.S. investments, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets.
- Affinity for U.S. Goods and Services – Countries in the region generally demonstrate a preference for U.S. goods and services so long as they are cost-competitive.
- Nearshoring Trends Open New Opportunities – Recent nearshoring trends to the region are driving new opportunities for U.S. firms to sell into regional supply chains in key best prosect sectors including: aerospace & defense, energy, mining equipment, environmental/clean technologies, design & construction, information & communication technologies, healthcare and safety & security.
Arun Venkataraman
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service
Arun Venkataraman is the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service. He was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 7, 2022, to lead the federal government’s efforts to promote exports abroad and attract inward investment. He was officially sworn in on April 25, 2022.
Venkataraman has over 20 years of experience advising companies, international organizations and the U.S. government on international trade issues. Most recently, he served as Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce, advising the Department of Commerce on trade and other international economic matters. Before joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Arun was a Senior Director at Visa, leading global government engagement strategy on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax and sanctions. He also served as Trade & Investment Policy Advisor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he counseled multinational firms and other organizations on e-commerce, intellectual property rights and U.S. and foreign trade policies.
During the Obama Administration, Venkataraman served as ITA’s first-ever Director of Policy, where he helped shape the U.S. government’s responses to critical challenges faced by firms in the U.S. and in markets around the world, including China and India. He also served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) where he led the development and implementation of U.S.-India trade policy, for which he received the agency’s Kelly Award for outstanding performance and extraordinary leadership. He also served as USTR’s Associate General Counsel, representing the United States in litigation before the World Trade Organization and in negotiations on international trade agreements. Prior to USTR, Arun was a Legal Officer at the World Trade Organization, and served as Law Clerk for Judge Jane A. Restani at the U.S. Court of International Trade.
Born in Coimbatore, India, and raised in Houston, Venkataraman holds a juris doctorate from Columbia Law School, a Master of Arts in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University.
Stephanie Delgado
Commercial Specialist @ U.S. Commercial Service Colombia
Stephanie Delgado has served as a commercial specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, since January 2021. She covers the infrastructure, franchising, and maritime sector leaders and has supported more than 80 U.S. companies interested in doing business in Colombia by identifying a distributor, local representative or a final client and has also provided valuable market access strategies for them. In addition, Stephanie works with Colombian business associations and regional Amchams recruiting Colombian companies interested in joining U.S. trade shows.
Before joining the U.S. Commercial Service in Colombia, Stephanie worked at the Colombo American Chamber of Commerce, AmCham Colombia, and the Department of International Trade at the UK Embassy in Colombia supporting and identifying British companies in Colombia. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and is fluent in Spanish, English and French.
Eric Olson
Regional Senior Commercial Officer - Southern Cone @ U.S. Commercial Service Argentina
Eric Olson is the Commercial Counselor based at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires with responsibility for coordinating the activities of the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Southern Cone countries of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Eric’s previous assignments include: Commercial Attaché in Seoul, Korea, where he was a member of the U.S. team that negotiated the KORUS Free Trade Agreement; Senior Commercial Officer in Quito, Ecuador and Caracas, Venezuela; Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Recife, Brazil; Commercial Officer at the U.S. Export Assistance Center in West Los Angeles; and Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey, Mexico. Prior to his career in the Foreign Service, Eric worked in Washington, DC, at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Office of the Western Hemisphere as the Deputy Regional Director. Before coming to the Department of Commerce, Eric worked in the U.S. Congress as a legislative assistant to Congressman Dan Schaefer of Colorado. He earned an MA from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, DC and a BA from the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.
