Export Promotion Services' Matchmaker Program will lead an ACE/Infrastructure Matchmaker Trade Delegation to Spain and Morocco, June 3-7, 2002. This event will target all sectors of the architecture, construction, and engineering/infrastructure industries and will focus on helping those industries expand in these two markets.

Commercial Setting:

Spain is enjoying a period of rapid expansion, with good prospects for the future. Currently infrastructure supports its role as a trading hub and a regional financial and services center. Spain is becoming an international meeting point for organized business events as well as pleasure travel. Rapid growth has placed severe demands on Spain’s infrastructure, particularly in hotel facilities/complexes, time-sharing apartments, leisure ports/marinas, seaports with cruise ship facilities, conference/convention facilities, golf courses, theme parks, and airport expansion projects. In addition, given the ongoing high occupancy rate over the last three years of the hotels in Madrid and Barcelona, 34 hotels new hotels are currently planned for Madrid.

The government has responded with a major infrastructure development program. Spain offers US companies a market economy and free movement of capital; business profits can be transferred without restriction.

Morocco is an emerging market with great promise. The optimization of Morocco’s development relies on a sound and efficient sector-related policy of the government. Recent appointments of activist, technocrat Regional Governors in Morocco, supported by a new Minister of Interior who is a former Minister of Industry and Commerce and Finance Minister, has elevated major infrastructure projects into the top ranks of government priorities. The Governor of Casablanca is determined to move projects that have languished for decades, and has already signed a TDA grant for a comprehensive solid waste project. In FY01, Morocco was the second only to China in the amount of TDA grants received—over $2.5 million. Morocco has TDA grants in process for airport privatization, wastewater treatment, port development, geographic information system for the petroleum sector, solid waste and desalination/co-generation among others. A public/private partnership has been signed, backed by the King, to quintuple Morocco’s tourist visitors by 2010.

Morocco’s Tourism Division has elaborated a long-term strategy that is targeting the strengthening and the improvement of its infrastructure with the institutional and financial support of the World Bank. As for roads infrastructure, the Ministry of Equipment is preparing an international tender, to be launched by the end of this year, for the construction of a high-quality Mediterranean bypass which will connect the city of Tangiers to the Algerian borders, through other northern cities. The bypass, which will be 560 Km long, will receive $400 million in multi-government financing. Included in future development plans are several hotels and restaurants, two mega-cinemas with 14 and 20 movie-theatres, 4 franchise fast-foods, a marina, and a 20 meter wide walkway. The Moroccan government policy aims to encourage foreign direct investment and local investment in equipment and machinery for the upgrading of its manufacturing industries in preparation of business globalization.
 

Mission Scenario:

The Matchmaker will start in Madrid with two days of business meetings, before traveling to Casablanca, Morocco. The participants will have one day of business meetings in Casablanca. The mission will then travel to Tangiers, Morocco for one day of meetings. At each stop, the Foreign Commercial Service will provide an extensive market briefing, highlighting opportunities in the ACE/infrastructure sectors; schedule one-on-one appointments with potential business partners for each participant; and arrange a reception to introduce the participants to key business people in the industry.

Timetable:

Mission participants will arrive in Madrid, Sunday, June 2nd, where participants will have two days of business meetings (June 3-4). The mission will travel to Casablanca, Morocco (June 5th), for one day of business meetings (June 6th), before it leaves for Tangiers. The Matchmaker will have one day of meetings in Tangiers on Friday, June 7th and the Matchmaker will conclude that evening.

The Matchmaker will be promoted through the following venues: the Export Assistance Centers and Teams; the Federal Register; relevant trade publications; relevant trade associations; past Matchmaker and Commerce trade mission participants; various in-house and purchased industry lists, and on ITA's Internet home page.

Criteria for Participation:

• Relevance of the company's business line to mission goals
• Potential for business in the selected markets
• Time submission of the company's completed application and payment of the mission participation fee
• Provision of adequate information on the company's products and/or services and communication of the company's primary objectives to facilitate appropriate matching with potential business partners
• Certification that the company's products and/or services are manufactured or produced in the United States, or, if manufactured/produced outside of the United States, the product/service must be marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have U.S. content representing at least 51 percent of the value of the finished good or service.

Contact Information: