Communiqué

AmCham Upcoming Events 2012

January 2012January 2012January 2012January 2012January 2012

NAPEO Conference 2

Anti Counterfeit Campaign 3

Plastics Showcase 4

Ad Corner 5

AmCham Services 6

Upcoming EventsUpcoming EventsUpcoming EventsUpcoming EventsUpcoming Events

Anti Counterfeit DayMarch 15, 2012

US Chamber of Commerce Trade Mission to MoroccoMarch 21, 2012

IPR DayApril 26, 2012

Inside this issueInside this issueInside this issueInside this issueInside this issue

AmCham Events 2012 1

Dear Members,

I am pleased to share our core event program for 2012. Additional events including luncheons will be planned around these themes.These events are designed to respond to our mission which is to provide support to American and Moroccan businesses, seeking todevelop new and existing business opportunities in each other’s market through advocacy, information sharing, providing networkingopportunities and business support services.

To have a better understanding of the membership needs in terms of services and events, we conducted a membership survey in 2011.Survey results showed that networking, advocacy, trade missions and increased business opportunities are the main priorities forour members.

To meet the desire for regular networking opportunities between our members we will hold several Mixer events. We launched ourfirst successful event on February 9th at the Churchill Club and I thank everyone who was able to join us. We will continue to holdour annual Golf Challenge sometime in June which is also an important fundraising event.

In terms of Advocacy, we are organizing an anti-counterfeit campaign for 2012 with a particular focus on the pharmaceutical andhygiene product sectors. The campaign will be launched on March 15th in partnership with the US Embassy, CGEM, OMPIC andAFAK and will consist of roundtables, testimonials, spots on main radio stations as well as a Facebook page called “ Stop the Fake”.On the occasion of Intellectual Property Rights we will hold a roundtable on software and DVD piracy day on April 26th.

For Trade Missions, we will host a Cross Sectoral Trade Mission in Morocco led by the President of the U.S. Chamber of Commercein Washington, D.C. on March 21st.

For Government outreach, we will organize business briefings with several key ministries with a targeted agenda which we willannounce in due course.

In the fourth quarter, we are planning to host a regional U.S. businesses conference to promote Morocco as a platform for MENA,Europe and Africa.

We’ll say farewell to 2012 and welcome the New Year with our annual Amcham Gala Ball in December.

We are here to respond to your suggestions so please share your thoughts with us. More details will follow. I look forward to seeingyou at these events.

Sincerely,

Walter SiouffiAmCham President

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AMCHAM NEWS

Magic Show

February 13-15, 2012

Mandalay Bay Convention Center , Vegas 

www.magiconline.com

Selected Trade Shows forExporters

Selected Trade Shows forImporters

U.S. - Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference in MarrakechThe 2nd annual U.S. – Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference took placein Marrakech on January 16-18, 2012. The conference is a regional follow-on to the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship held in Washington,D.C., in April 2010 and serves as the annual partnership convening eventfor the U.S. – North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity(NAPEO), part of the global alliance Partners for a New Beginning (PNB).The NAPEO Morocco advisory board was the host of the conference incoordination with the Aspen Institute, the support of the U.S. Departmentof State and the PNB-NAPEO network. PNB-NAPEO brings togetherbusiness, nongovernmental, and public organizations in the United Statesand North Africa to create regional partnerships that promoteentrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation. The inaugural U.S. –Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference was held in Algiers, Algeria, inDecember 2010.

Marrakech conference brought together North African business leadersand entrepreneurs, aspiring youth entrepreneurs, business leaders ofthe North African Diaspora, along with U.S. business leaders and youngentrepreneurs. The promotion of intra-Maghreb relations and theimprovement of access to capital and partnerships with Maghreb Diasporaentrepreneurs were among the key goals of the Conference. No less than60 speakers spoke at the event, including former Secretary of State,Madeleine Albright, the President of the Aspen Institute, Walter Isaacson,as well as the President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy,Hernando de Soto.

Participants called for the creation of a regional market, a Maghreb-American Council for the Promotion of Investment in the region andmore scientific research and training expertise at the technical and scientificlevels. At the conclusion of the conference, the Aspen Institute announceda $ 4 million grant to assist entrepreneurship in North Africa.

Summer Fancy Food Show

June 17-19, 2012

Walter E. Washington Convention Center,

Washington, D.C.  . http://www.specialtyfood.com/fancy-food-show/

summer-fancy-food-show/

New York Gift Fair

August 18 - 23, 2012

Jacob Javits Center, New York http://www.nyigf.com

Natural Products Expo West/Engredea

March 8-11, 2012

Anaheim, CA, United States

http://www.expowest.com

The International Plastics Showcase

(NPE2012)

April 1-5, 2012

Orlando, Florida.

http://www.npe.org

International Franchise Expo

June 15-17, 2012

Jcaob Javits center, New York

http://www.ifeinfo.com/

Rabia El Alama and Madleine Al Bright

Rabia El Alama, Assistant Secretary Fernandez and Fay Baydoun, Arab-

American Chamber of Commerce in Dearborn, MI

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AMCHAM NEWS

Join us in welcoming New Members

E-Commerce Conseil(E-Commerce, PayPal Partner and Magento Partner)

Mr . Ismail Khachani

EMAA(School of Management and Business)

Mr. Tarik Lafou

DuPont Nemours Morocco(Industrial products and services)

Mr. Xavier Ciurana

Soprofel(Production & sales of vegetables, fruits, dates & olives)

Mr . Hassan Drhem

Koutoubia Holding(Transformation of Halal meat products)

Mr . Taher Bemezzagh

S’Tours Voyages (Tourism, incentive, business travel)

Mr . Az-Eddine Skalli

AmCham welcomes a New Board Member

Amcham members, US Embassy, CONPIAC and OMPIC discusing the Anti

Counterfeit Awareness Campaign.

AmCham to Launch Anti Counterfeit Campaign in Partnershipwith US Embassy, CONPIAC, OMPIC, Afak and UniConsoCounterfeiting is a constantly growing phenomenon

internationally and Morocco is no exception. Today, the

range of counterfeit goods in circulation on the Moroccan

market continues to diversify. The food, toys, cosmetics,

spare parts, tobacco, even drugs, medical equipment,

wellness products, and hygiene are now involved, directly

threatening the safety and health of consumers.

Counterfeiting benefits networks of smugglers who cause

very serious damages to consumers, the state and

businesses.

It is in this regard that AmCham in collaboration with the

US Embassy, CONPIAC, OMPIC, AFAK and

UniConso will launch in March an awareness campaign

through media and roundtables to educate consumers

about the risks incurred by the use of counterfeit drugs

and hygiene products and the cost to the State and the

businesses.

Yassine Bouajaja joined the AmCham Board onFebruary 7, 2012. Mr. Bouajaja heads Eli Lilly &Co affiliate as Country Manager for Morocco andFrench West Africa Countries. Yassine comes with11 years experience working in the pharmaceuticalindustry in North Africa, Switzerland, Lebanon andSaudi Arabia. He holds an MBA from Al Akhawayn

University in Ifrane.

Join us in welcoming Yassine Bouajaja!

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IBP Trade Shows and Tourism Information

The International Plastics Showcase (NPE2012) is one of the largest and oldest U.S.-based international trade shows. Asthe single largest concentration of professionals in the U.S. plastics industry, every three years NPE brings together a crosssection of virtually the entire plastics and elastomers industry. As a result, this event has a pivotal effect on plastics industrybuying decisions worldwide. NPE offers more education sessions than other shows of its kind, offering many informative,relevant sessions that truly add value to an attendee’s registration.Industries represented at the show: Additives & modifiers, assembly equipment, bagmaking, barrels, bimetallic cylinders,blenders/mixers, blowmolding, blowmolding (extrusion and/or injection), CAD/CAM and/or CIM, chemical materials/pigments/dyestuff, chillers/chilling, cleaners and/or cleaning equipment, coatings, colorants, composites, cut-off equipment, decoratingequipment, deflashing equipment, dicers/pelletizers, dies, dryers, economic and/or industrial development/EMI/RFL shielding/engineering equipment/services, extrusion (film, sheet and/or profile), fillers and reinforcements, finishing equipment, granulators/grinders/shredders, heat transfer fluids and/or oils, heaters/heating elements, hydraulics/pneumatics, injection (electric, horizontal,and/or vertical), machine controls, material and parts conveyors, measuring, gauging, monitoring, recording equipment, moldbases, mold frames, mold temperature control units, moldmakers, purging compounds, rapid prototyping and/or prototyping,recycling, resins, rim, robots(ICS)/automation systems, rotational molding, runnerless systems, screen changers, static controlequipment, temperature controls, thermoforming, thermoforming, vacuum forming, film, pressure forming, tooling, watertreatment equipment (electrical and liquid), and welding equipment.Benefits for International Buyer Program (IBP) Attendees:Discounted registration fees, Daily informal networking 8-9am, Complimentary networking reception, Airfare and hoteldiscounts and Possible technical field trips. More on the show at www.npe.org,Contact: AmCham at amcham@amcham-morocco.com, Tel: 0522 250 736/37.

What to do while you are in Orlando?Walt Disney World (WDW) increasingly became a big business: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal King-dom, two water parks, as well as a myriad of vacation hotels, retail establishments, sports facilities, nighttime entertainmentcenters, and restaurants became as we know it today - the Walt Disney World Resort.

Other interesting parks outside Disney World Resort, include, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, Universal Studios and Islands ofAdventure. Smaller tourist attractions such as the Orlando Science Center and Wonder Works are also popular with visitors.Each park is worth a visit, but the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and SeaWorld are not to be missed. Ofthe two movie parks, Universal Studios and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the former is larger and rooted more in contempo-rary film; the latter projects the ambience of Hollywood in its heyday while incorporating modern movie and televisionthemes. Islands of Adventure has more thrills for big kids and adults, and will bring out the child in everyone.

Two dining, shopping, and entertainment centers stand out: CityWalk at Universal and Downtown Disney at Walt DisneyWorld Resort. Cirque du Soleil’s acrobats, theatrics, and stunning choreography of “La Nouba,” was specially created forCirque’s Downtown Disney theater. DisneyQuest at Downtown Disney is an indoor theme park with several hours’ worthof virtual-reality attractions. There is plenty to do in Orlando - and magic all the way!..here are some highlights you don’twant to miss....NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html

Aquatica: www.aquaticabyseaworld.comBlack Hammock airboat Rides: www.theblackhammock.comCorona Cigar Company & Avo Cigar Bar: www.coronacigar.comDiscovery Cove: www.discoverycove.comDisney’s Hollywood Studios: www.disneyworld.disney.comDisney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park: www.disneyworld.disney.comEpcot: www.disneyworld.disney.comSeaWorld Orlando: www.seaworld.comRosen Shingle Creek Golf Club: www.shinglecreekgolf.comUniversal Studios Florida: www.universalorlando.com

The International Plastics Showcase, April 1- 5 in Orlando

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Selected trade shows inthe USA for exporters

Executive Education Center (EEC)

The Executive Education Center of Al Akhawayn University was created in 1998 at the initiative of the U.S.

Government with an initial grant of US$ 3 million. The main goal of EEC is to contribute to higher education

development as well as executive education in Morocco. Over the past 10 years, EEC developed successful programs

including part time MBAs, Executive MBAs and soon two specialized masters. AmCham plays a key role in EEC by

serving as equal partner to Al Akhawayn in the process of the development and the establishment of the center and

exercising a joint control of the endowment fund.

EEC Degree Programs

Part Time MBA

Executive MBA

Masters : Masters of Sciences in Logistics and Supply Chain Management &Masters in International Trade

EEC Continuing Education Program

EEC has developed customized trainings that respond to specific needs of continuing education both in the private

and public sector, some of these trainings include:

Public Management training for Interior Ministry employees, Change Management training for Moroccan School

Leaders, E-learning for Moroccan Professors, Communication skills as well as computer science skills.

Information on Programs, contact Majdouline El Hassouni

Tel: 0522 503 664 or email M.Elhassouni@aui.ma

AD CORNER

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AmCham Announcements

Contact AmCham at Tel : 0522 25 07 36/37/51<amcham@amcham-morocco.com>

You can advertise in theAmCham Communiqué

ADVERTISING RATES

(Non-member display ads: add 40%)

Display your Corporate logos and banners on the newlydesigned AmCham website at DH 6000 per year for membersand DH 10000 for non members. Logos and banners areshown continuously on the homepage of the website.

Quarter Page: DH 2500Half Page: DH 5000Business card size: DH 2250Logo (1 year): DH 6000

Use the AmChamWebsite to promote

your Companywww.amcham-morocco.com

Contact AmCham at Tel : 0522 25 07 36/37/51<amcham@amcham-morocco.com>

Do you know the list of services available for you?

AmCham is pleased to remind you of the benefits and services offered to members. Takeadvantage of your membership and use the list of services hereafter. AmCham staff is here toserve you!

* Advocacy and assistance with business concerns.* Business environment briefings.* Business matchmaking/One- on- One meetings/Partner search.* Business referrals.* Business Executive Visa Program (BEP).* CV database.* Committees.* Discounts.* Events: Seminars, debates, roundtables, gala ball , golf challenge and Mixers.* Information on U.S. –Morocco trade and Investment.* Mediation.* Promotional opportunities on AmCham website and publications.* Publications and Reports: Annual Directory, E-newsletter, OBG report.* U.S.-Morocco Trade and Investment Award.

If you have a question about the services or a suggestion, feel free to call us at 0522 25 07 36-0522 25 07 37.