Event Description

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Service (CS) office in Dusseldorf, supported by the International Trade Administration's (ITA) Health Care Technology Team, is organizing the annual Corporate Executive Office (CEO) at Expopharm ‘02, Europe’s largest pharmaceutical, over the counter (OTC) product, and health supplements show, with over 450 exhibitors and over 20,000, strictly trade-only, visitors from 67 countries. Product groups include: Drugs- OTC; services; bandages and hospital care products; cosmetics and body care products; laboratory and prescription accessories; nutritional supplements; hygiene products; pharmacy furnishings; software/hardware products. The show targets trade visitors from the pharmaceutical sector including retail pharmacy, doctors, and nurses. At this year’s location in Berlin, Expopharm is expected to attract a great number of visitors from Central and Eastern Europe. As the only effective alternative to exhibiting at or simply visiting Expopharm for U.S. exporters, the CEO program targets new-to-market U.S. companies in this sector that have not previously exhibited at Expopharm. The CEO program affords lower cost access to Expopharm, allowing small and medium-sized businesses to participate in Europe’s largest pharmaceutical trade show where they would not otherwise have the opportunity to participate due to the high cost. The Expopharm CEO is intended as an alternative to exhibiting individually. The U.S. Commercial Service envisions that CEO participants will eventually exhibit in their own booth on the exhibition floor. Thus, preference will be given to businesses that have not been multiple-year participants in past Expopharm CEOs.

This CEO consists of a package of services including: pre-show counseling; presence and base of operations on show premises with shared office suite, equipment, and services; market research and formal briefing in-country by the CS pharmaceutical sector specialist; exposure through entry into show catalog, and the on-site electronic search system; assignment of a multi-lingual personal assistant/escort; on-site scheduling of meetings with pre-screened potential partners, agents, and buyers; and post-show assistance and follow-up with contacts.

Commercial Setting

The Expopharm trade show is the single most important commercial and information exchange for U.S. exporters to the German and European pharmaceuticals, OTC products, and health supplements market. It offers not only the unsurpassed forum for access to the German market but also an excellent means to explore and penetrate virtually all European markets as well as other foreign markets. In 2000, the United States was Germany’s largest supplier of pharmaceutical products, increasing exports to Germany by 37 percent over 1999 levels, to a total of 1.8 billion euros (approx. $1.6 billion). Best sales prospects exist for vaccines, cardio-vascular medication, analgesics, blood-building preparations, diagnostics, and infection/tumor blockers. German government cost-containment legislation continues as the driving force for the market of self-medication drugs and generic medicines, accounting for 15% of total drug sales. In the OTC, non-prescription segment, multivitamin preparations, unique combinations, and lifestyle and natural/herbal products continue to have high demand. German consumers purchased non-reimbursable, prescription-free products valued at 4.2 million euros (approx. $3.75 million) in the year 2000. In the past, the 22,000 apothecaries in Germany were solely delivery centers for prescription medicines. However, they are now quickly turning into health stores, as they also carry nutraceuticals and general health and wellness products.

Despite recent efforts to reform the public health care system in Germany to moderate the rapid increase in public health care expenditures, demographic trends, the aging German population, and advances in medical technology are predicted to sustain the German market as the largest and fastest growing market in all of Europe. The German market is very receptive to innovative pharmaceutical and health supplement products from the United States. The newer democratic markets of Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Newly Independent States offer long term potential for U.S. exporters as those regions strive to achieve comparable standards of health care enjoyed in the West. This year’s Expopharm in Berlin will be the showplace for U.S. pharmaceutical, OTC, and health care products for these markets.

Because Expopharm attracts buyers and experts in the field from all over Europe, it serves as a barometer of trends, an indispensable source of market information, and the most efficient available tool for establishing contacts and selling or preparing for sales to major European markets.

Mission Goals

The goal of the Expopharm CEO is to facilitate a productive presence for companies that would not otherwise be able to participate in Expopharm ‘02. The Expopharm CEO program enables U.S. pharmaceutical, OTC, and health supplement providers to familiarize themselves with this important trade fair, conduct market research and explore export opportunities through pre-arranged meetings with potential partners, investigation of market conditions, and discussions conducted at the show without the high costs of first-time exhibition. Importantly, the CEO allows U.S. companies to have a presence at the show, thereby providing them with an enhanced image and level of engagement, an office infrastructure environment, and knowledgeable support of U.S. Commercial Service staff and personal assistants focused on furthering company-specific objectives. Access to German, European, and other international markets and business partners is made possible through the CEO in a manner that cannot be matched by simply attending the show as a visitor.

Mission Scenario

Participants may request counseling by their nearest U.S. Export Assistance Center. Company information and literature will be forwarded by the companies to CS Dusseldorf and distributed in advance to assigned assistants, so that they may familiarize themselves with the company. Participants will arrive in Berlin on their own schedule but report to the CEO office in

Expopharm at the start of the show. At this time, participants will be briefed by CS staff on program features, personally introduced to their assigned assistants, and greeted by trade fair officials. Company literature and promotional material will either be shipped to the trade show in advance or brought by participants. CS staff will be available for information and assistance throughout the duration of Expopharm. Prior to participants’ departure, CS staff will advise and counsel on appropriate post-show follow-up.

Timetable

Participants arrive according to their own schedules but all assemble at the Berlin Trade Fair in the Expopharm CEO at the beginning of the show, October 10, 2002.

Expopharm CEO participation promotion will be conducted by CS Dusseldorf and will be supported by the ITA Health Care Team and will include, but not be limited to, publication in local German, as well as domestic trade publications, trade association newsletters, mailings from internal and purchased mailing lists, publication of a notice in the Federal Register, and posting on ITA’s homepage at http://www.ita.doc.gov/doctm/tmcal.html. The target number of companies for participation will be eight, and the participation fee is $2,900 (this fee does not include airfare or lodging). Recruitment will begin immediately and will close by Monday, September 9, 2002. Applications received after that date will be considered only if space and scheduling constraints permit.

Conditions for CEO participation

• Acceptability of product area/sector for exhibition in Expopharm according to trade fair rules at www.abda.de
• Relevance of the company’s business line to CEO goals
• Potential for business in the selected market
• Timely submission of a completed application, payment of the $2,900 participation fee, and submission of the participation agreement and certifications.
• 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 meets Department of Commerce guidelines for participation, including certification that the company’s products and/or services are manufactured or produced in the U.S. or if manufactured/produced outside of the U.S., 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:

Overseas Post & Anette Salama
Recruitment Lead: U.S. Commercial Service
U.S. Consulate General
Willi-Becker-Allee 10
40227 Dusseldorf
Germany
Tel.: +49-211-737-767-60
Fax: +49-211-737-767-67
e-mail: Anette.Salama@mail.doc.gov

U.S. Contact: David Fiscus
U.S. Commercial Service
U.S. Department of Commerce/US&FCS
14^th & Constitution Ave, NW Rm 3122
Washington, DC 20230
Tel: 202/482-1599
Fax: 202/482-3159
e-mail: David.Fiscus@mail.doc.gov