Busan and Gyeonggi Kick Off Video Consultations, Continuing in Chungbuk, Daejeon, and Chungnam
On the 12th, our company is having an online consultation with an overseas buyer at the '2020 Boom-Up Busan Online Consultation' held at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 2 in Busan. (Photo by KOTRA)
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] KOTRA announced on the 15th that it will hold a series of video consultation meetings to support Korean companies nationwide facing difficulties in exploring overseas markets due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Starting with Busan and Gyeonggi, KOTRA's regional support groups will hold relay video consultation meetings in Chungbuk, Daejeon·Chungnam, and other areas to support exports of local small and medium-sized enterprises.
KOTRA Busan Support Group set up video consultation booths at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 2 in Busan on the 12th to hold the '2020 Boom-up Busan Video Consultation Meeting.' Thirty domestic companies and sixteen buyers conducted 47 online consultations. This consultation meeting, held in cooperation with Busan City, focused on the region's strong sectors such as shipbuilding equipment, automobile parts, and consumer goods.
Buyers from cities in China such as Shanghai and Dalian, as well as buyers from alternative countries like Thailand and Qatar, participated in the consultation. In particular, a cosmetics import buyer recruited by the Wuhan Trade Center also participated from their home using a smartphone. The Wuhan buyer completed consultations with three domestic cosmetics manufacturers and follow-up consultations are scheduled.
KOTRA Gyeonggi Support Group also held a 'Special Video Consultation Meeting in Response to COVID-19' for two days starting on the 12th in cooperation with the Seoul·Gyeonggi Regional Small and Medium Business Administration. This was a substitute video consultation meeting for the '2020 Korea Build Week Building Materials Export Consultation.' Twenty-two domestic companies and twenty-three buyers conducted 27 video consultations, and if additional overseas demand is discovered within this month, consultations will continue.
KOTRA plans to continuously support video consultations between overseas buyers and small and medium-sized enterprises nationwide. Following the Busan and Gyeonggi consultation meetings, video consultation meetings for consumer goods and health·medical sectors in Daejeon·Chungnam·Sejong (held as needed until the end of May), Chungbuk (March 17?19), and Gyeongnam (March 24?25) will be held.
Additionally, KOTRA's overseas regional headquarters will also hold video consultation meetings focused on local demand items and promising buyers. The China Regional Headquarters has designated Wednesdays and Fridays as video consultation days for the Chinese-speaking region and has conducted 192 consultations between 137 domestic companies and 119 buyers since the 21st of last month. The China Regional Headquarters plans to develop additional non-face-to-face projects such as promotional events using Chinese influencers called 'Wanghong' and online crowdfunding marketing.
The South Asia Regional Headquarters will hold the 'South Asia Distribution Vendor Video Consultation Meeting' for three days starting on the 18th. Approximately 240 domestic companies will participate along with major distribution vendors from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
Kwon Pyung-oh, President of KOTRA, said, "Regional companies have also started actively participating in video consultations, which previously had a high proportion of companies from the metropolitan area," and added, "We will accelerate nationwide non-face-to-face marketing support through smooth collaboration among KOTRA headquarters, regional support groups, and overseas regional headquarters."
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