u.s.-oman trade bulletin - state trade bulletin ... moci informed attendees of their services to...
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THE FIRST OFFICIAL OMANI DELEGATION ATTENDS THE
OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE IN HOUSTON, TX
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E
Official Delegation to the
Offshore technology
Conference
2,
3
Session on franchising: An
Attractive Business
Opportunity 4
Meet the Bankers Coffee
Roundtable 5
Roundtable on Tendering
Process in Oman 6
New American Small
Business in Oman 7
Doing Business Under the
U.S.-Oman FTA 8
Upcoming Events 9 ,
10
U.S.-Oman Trade Bulletin
A P R / M A Y / J U N 2 0 1 2 w w w . o m a n . u s e m b a s s y . g o v
Contact Our Office:
Ida Mathew
Phone: 2464 3400
Fax: 2469 6928
Email:
Website:
www.export.gov/oman
The Commercial Section of the U.S. Embassy in Muscat recruited a first-ever 26-member
International Buyer Program (IBP) delegation from Oman to attend the Offshore Technol-
ogy Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas from April 30 to May 3, 2012.
The delegates were offered a host of benefits including: pre-registration for the show;
advance discount hotel reservations; special fares on a direct flight to Houston via partner
airline Qatar Airways; inclusion in an official Oman delegation brochure outlining sector
background and individual company profiles and objectives distributed to all U.S.
exhibitors; assistance in arranging and scheduling appointments with U.S. exhibitors;
U.S. Ambassador Richard J. Schmierer (Center), CEO of OPAL Mohammed Al Harthy
(right of the Ambassador), Economic and Commercial Officer Emily Shaffer (extreme
right), Commercial Assistant Ida Mathew (extreme left) along with the delegates during
the send-off ceremony.
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U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N
an immigration letter from the U.S. Commercial Service; visa referrals; invitations to a number of ex-
clusive networking events; access to special business lounges for international delegates; and follow-
up and facilitation of referrals after the event. The delegates were hosted with a special pre-departure
send-off ceremony at which Ambassador Richard J. Schmierer thanked and congratulated the dele-
gates and encouraged further U.S.-Omani cooperation in the oil and gas sector. During the send-off,
Mohammed Al Harthy, CEO of OPAL, applauded the embassy’s efforts, and noted that he had never
seen such successful recruitment for a petroleum event in his decades of experience in the sector.
Commercial Assistant Ida Mathew, accompanied the delegates and participated in “Showtime” meet-
ings to advise U.S. companies about opportunities in Oman and promote the U.S.-Oman Free Trade
Agreement. Showtime is a series of pre-scheduled meetings between U.S. Commercial Services repre-
sentatives and individual U.S. exhibitors to discuss marketability of their products and services, spe-
cific opportunities, and any issues in the host country market. Delegates were also invited to a high
level reception hosted by the Bilateral U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (BUSACC) for the MENA
delegates, where the guest speaker was Francisco J. Sanchez, the Under Secretary of Commerce for
International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce, which served as a useful networking opportunity.
BUSACC also invited a few delegates to a VIP reception and a private board dinner.
It was many of the travelers’ first experience with such a large and diverse gathering of industry pro-
fessionals. Delegates were able to meet U.S. companies and find new U.S. technology suitable for
Omani markets. We plan to organize a delegation to the 2013 Offshore Technology Conference which
will be held from May 6th to 9th in Houston, Texas.
Ambassador Schmierer and Mohammed al Harthy, CEO of OPAL (on Ambassador’s left), agreed
that U.S. firms can transfer valuable technology and expertise to allow Omani petroleum sector
participants to take on greater professional responsibility and even introduce innovative enhanced
oil recovery solutions to the global market.
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U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N
OFFICIAL DELEGATION TO THE OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
Ambassador Schmierer and Kris
Raghavan, Technical Advisor for
Occidental Oman, cut the celebra-
tory cake
Ambassador Schmierer and Sheikh
Ghassi al Junaibi, Director of Duqm
Overseas Trading Group, cut the
celebratory cake
Francisco J Sanchez, Under
Secretary of Commerce for
International Trade, addressing the
gathering at an annual reception
hosted by BUSACC to welcome
MENA delegates to Houston
4
U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N
U.S. Embassy Muscat, together with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) and the
Muscat American Business Council, organized an information session on “How to bring
American franchises to Oman” on May 6, 2012 at Sultan Qaboos University. The forum high-
lighted franchising as an exciting business model for first-time entrepreneurs.
MOCI informed attendees of their services to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
and regulatory procedures for registering a new franchise in Oman. Bank Muscat’s SME divi-
sion presented on services and products aimed at assisting up-and-coming entrepreneurs who
may want to finance a new franchise. Al Busaidy, Mansoor Jamal & Company law firm pro-
vided expert guidance on the legal aspects of bringing a franchise to the region. Successful lo-
cal franchisees shared their valuable insight and experiences in bringing well-known American
brands to Oman. U.S. Embassy Economic and Commercial Officer Emily Shaffer highlighted
the opportunities in the U.S. franchising industry and the FTA as an added advantage. The Em-
bassy also informed the audience about the International Franchise Show in New York City
which is a good opportunity for interested Omani businesses to be exposed to a wide selection
of U.S. franchises under one roof, meet directly with franchise owners, and compare notes
with like-minded international franchisees. The workshop helped participants understand the
concept of franchises and the opportunities offered by establishing U.S. franchises in Oman.
A SESSION ON FRANCHISING: AN ATTRACTIVE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
5
MEET THE BANKERS COFFEE ROUNTABLE
U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N
The U.S. Embassy in Muscat organized a Coffee
Roundtable at the Ambassador’s residence on
June 19 to introduce key decision-makers in the
banking sector to new-to-market American com-
panies in Oman. David Hamod, President of the
National U.S. –Arab Chamber of Commerce
(NUSACC), attended, along with representatives
from Miro Technologies, Booz Allen Hamilton,
and Gulf Consulting Group.
New U.S. companies in Oman had the opportunity
to be introduced to the banking community and
learn more about the services offered by local
banks. Guests also discussed changes in the dy-
namics of the banking sector, especially the im-
pact of the recent introduction of Islamic banking.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) financing
was at the top of most bankers’ agendas, yet all
agreed that additional, non-financing measures
such as business training and government procure-
ment reform are necessary to drive meaningful
SME development in Oman. Finally, the bankers
were unanimous in their desire for greater private
sector participation in project financing, but noted
syndicates would need to be created to meet the
long-term financing needs of large infrastructure
projects, and the Central Bank of Oman should
direct more dollar liquidity to local banks as short-
ages are often an obstacle to financing interna-
tional projects.
U.S. Ambassador Richard J. Schmierer,
Abdulaziz Al Balushi (CEO of Ahli Bank),
Ganesan Sridhar (Bank Muscat’s Group General
Manager for Corporate Banking and Interna-
tional Operations), and Emily Shaffer (Economic
and Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy)
Emily Shaffer (Economic and Commercial
Officer, U.S. Embassy) addressing the group
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U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N
ROUNDTABLE ON TENDERING PROCESS IN OMAN
U.S. Embassy Economic and Commercial
Officer Emily Shaffer introduces James
Filpi, Director of the U.S. Commerce De-
partment’s Commercial Law Develop-
ment Program, who provided insight on
international government procurement
The U.S. Embassy organized a discussion regarding the Tendering Process in Oman on May 19.
Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) representatives provided insights on interna-
tional public procurement best practices, while the Director of the Utilities Division at Ernst &
Young provided an overview of Oman Tender Board procedures and requirements. The discus-
sion evoked great interest among some large U.S. firms including: Raytheon, Baker Hughes, GE,
Schlumberger, KBR, and 3M. The Embassy and CLDP were able to gain a better understanding
of the actual experiences of the tendering procedures since tendering reforms were introduced in
mid-2011.
U.S. Embassy Economic and Commercial
Officer Emily Shaffer thanks guest
speaker Naveen Kandukuri, Utilities Di-
rector at Ernst & Young, who presented
an overview of the tendering process in
Oman.
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AMERICAN SMALL BUSINESS: DECORATIVE SPINNERS FROM TEXAS
U.S. Embassy Economic and Commercial Officer Emily Shaffer visits an American small business on
June 26. Siraj Qazi, Director of Qazi International, imports decorative spinners from Texas under the
U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement, and has gift stands in Qurum City Centre, Seeb City Centre, and the
Muscat Grand Mall.
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U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N
The second annual Oman Transport Infrastructure Summit 2012 (OTIS 2012) will focus on the imple-
mentation and construction of transportation networks across the Sultanate with a focus on land trans-
portation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, tunnels and railway. For further details visit: http://
www.omantransportinfrastructure.com
Oman EPC Projects 2012 will address the trends, issues, opportunities and strategies for procuring
and delivering exceptional EPC projects for the Oil & Gas and Power & water sectors in Oman.The
three day conference will include in-depth case studies, keynote presentations showcasing the current
trends, issues, opportunities and strategies, updates on technology and solutions , extensive networking
opportunities and workshops. For further details visit: http://www.omanepcprojects.com
With the Middle East market for MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) products and services set
to boom on the back of a revived construction industry, MEP Oman 2012 will explore the challenges
and review the solutions and best practices available to enhance quality and performance of MEP pro-
jects in Oman. For further details visit: http://www.mepomansummit.com
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The Fourth Annual Renewable Energy Technology Conference
and Exhibition October 17 to 19, 2012 in Washington, DC
U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N
UPCOMING EVENTS
MAGIC Marketplace 2012
Products: Textile, Fashion,
and Accessories
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Date: August 20-23, 2012
www.magiconline.com
——————————————
2012 Graph Expo
Products: Printing/Graphic
Arts Equipment
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: October 7-10, 2012
www.graphexpo.com
——————————————
Pack Expo 2012
Products: Food Processing
and Packing Equipment
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: October 28-31, 2012
www.packexpo.com
——————————————
Greenbuild Expo 2012
Products: Green Building
Location: San Francisco, CA
Date: November 14-16, 2012
www.greenbuildexpo.org
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Greater New York Dental
Meeting 2012
Products: Dental Products
Location: New York City, NY
Date: November 23-28, 2012
www.gnydm.com
GridWeek 2012 to be held October 2 to 4, 2012
in Washington, DC
RETECH 2012 is the only event dedicated to delivering coverage on
EVERY discipline of renewable energy technology. RETECH is
THE renewable energy industry's meeting place for over 3,000 Government,
Utility, Finance and Technology professionals from 60 countries. For more
information about the show, visit: http://www.retech2012.com/
GridWeek is globally recognized as the “must-attend” gathering dedicated to
the modernization of our global Smart Grid. GridWeek is the only event that
attracts the complete diversity of global electric-industry stakeholders to ex-
plore Smart Grid’s impact on the economy, utility infrastructure, consumers
and the environment. Now in its sixth year, GridWeek is planned by a repre-
sentative committee of 14 industry stakeholder groups to ensure the agenda is
focused on the most pressing industry topics. You can access more information
at http://www.gridweek.com