U.S.-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum to be hosted in Los Angeles

U.S. Secretary of Commerce and top-level American and Saudi Government and Private-Sector leaders will gather for the 3^rd U.S.-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum

Public symposium will focus on energy, healthcare, education, construction, oil and gas, petrochemicals, power, and water

www.us-saudiforum.com

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On September 16-18, 2013, the third U.S.-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum will be presented at the J.W. Marriott L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Forum will highlight Saudi Arabia’s rapidly expanding economy, increased participation in global industries, more than $1 trillion in trade and investment opportunities, and prospects for greater collaboration between Saudi Arabia and the U.S.

A delegation of more than 200 leaders in Saudi government and business, including ambassadors, ministers, deputy ministers, governors, CEOs, senior executives and heads of government regulatory authorities will travel to Los Angeles for the event.

In Chicago and Atlanta previously, this two and half-day Forum has proved to be an ideal platform for senior business people, top U.S. and Saudi officials, and civic leaders to discuss not only the means to enhance U.S.-Saudi cooperation at the national and corporate levels, but also an opportunity for California-based and national companies to network with Saudi counterparts to identify specific commercial and investment opportunities. To support matchmaking throughout the Forum, registrants will be able to access the Forum’s B2B Accelerator at http://b2b.us-saudiforum.com/.

The Forum will feature Davos-style panels, keynote addresses, and substantive breakout sessions with senior executives from U.S. companies successfully engaged in the Saudi market alongside Saudi Government and private-sector experts from a wide variety of fields. The sessions will cover topics including: energy, healthcare, education, construction, oil and gas, petrochemicals, power and water, among others.

Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest growing economies in the Middle East. The International Monetary Fund in 2012 declared that it was one of the best performing G20 economies of the past several years. As a member of the G20, Saudi Arabia is a working partner with the United States on critical global financial and economic issues. Such a partnership was crucial in the rapid economic growth over the past decade, and will continue to be essential as the Saudi Government and private sector work to develop a robust and diversified non-oil economy.

All interested participants are invited to register at the U.S.-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum website, www.us-saudiforum.com. The site also features an up-to-date program schedule, participant and sponsor lists, accommodations link as well as the B2B Accelerator link listed above. Forum registration is $150.

The event is being jointly organized by the Saudi Committee for International Trade (CIT), the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council, and the Saudi-U.S. Trade Group (SUSTG) under the patronage of the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Connect with the Forum

• http://us-saudiforum.com
• http://www.facebook.com/USSaudiForum
• http://twitter.com/USSaudiForum
• http://instagram.com/USSaudiForum

Confirmed participants, speakers, panelists and moderators include:

• H.R.H. Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Vice Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• H.E. Dr. Tawfig Alrabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry
• H.E. Eng. Abdullatif Al-Othman, Governor, SAGIA
• H.E. Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Saeed, Advisor to the Royal Court
• H.E. Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the U.S.
• Dr. Abdulrahman M. Albarrak, Commissioner, Capital Market Authority
• Hon. Penny Pritzker, U.S. Secretary of Commerce
• Hon. Eric Garcetti, Mayor, City of Los Angeles
• Amb. Mickey Kantor, Partner, Mayer Brown and former Secretary of Commerce and USTR
• General James B. Smith, U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
• Kome Ajise, Deputy Director, California Department of Transportation

Panel discussions, keynote addresses and workshop topics will include:

• Saudi Arabia: Sound Policy Fuels Economic Success
• U.S.-Saudi Trade and Investment: Opportunities Ahead
• The Saudi K-12 Education Reform: Building the Foundation for a Knowledge-Based Economy
• Industrial Infrastructure Initiatives: Engines for Economic Growth
• Building the Healthcare Sector through Innovation and Technology
• Opportunities in Electricity and Energy
• Downstream Petrochemicals: National Priority and International Opportunity
• Renewable Energy and Sustainability: Developing Solutions for the Future
• The Effective Use of Resources for Economic Development
• Business Opportunities in the Oil and Gas Sectors
• Opportunities in Water
• Fostering Technology Transfer and Industrialization
• Opportunities in Architecture, Construction, and Engineering
• Opportunities in the Agricultural and Food Industries

California Partners include:

The California Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Los Angeles, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), the California Business Roundtable, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), and Delegata.

About

The U.S.-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum is the largest annual gathering of U.S. and Saudi companies, business people and government officials. The Forum highlights and promotes the U.S.-Saudi commercial and trade relationship and how U.S. companies can participate in Saudi Arabia's extraordinary economic growth as well as provide a unique platform for American and Saudi executives to establish new and lasting business ties. Past conferences were held in Atlanta in December 2011 and Chicago in April 2010.

The (Saudi) Committee for International Trade (CIT): Founded in 1983, The Committee for International Trade (CIT) within the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry is comprised of leading Saudi business leaders working to expand and improve Saudi Arabia’s external trade relationships. A private-sector initiative, CIT recognizes that Saudi Arabia’s global economic, financial and commercial partnerships are also influenced by social and political considerations; that the ample and accurate flow of information combined with ongoing and candid dialogue are intrinsic to building durable trade and investment ties with the U.S. as well as other nations.

The U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council (USSABC) is the premier organization that assists U.S. companies in identifying business partners in Saudi Arabia. With over 400 leading U.S. and Saudi member companies, the Business Council is in constant dialogue with U.S. and Saudi companies to help them identify trade and investment opportunities in both countries. USSABC services include trade missions, business development and consulting services, seminars, industry reports, and custom research on markets, businesses, and market strategy to provide the best access, networking, and insight to ensure that companies succeed.

The Saudi-U.S. Trade Group (SUSTG) is a business association with a special interest in issues related to economy, trade, commerce, energy, and finance. It also provides coverage of an extraordinary range of other matters critical to the U.S.-Saudi relationship including political, social and other topics as well as key issues related to intelligence, security and defense. The SUSTG website (www.sustg.org) is the most comprehensive site available for U.S.-Saudi coverage and provides an up-to-the-minute survey of current reporting and analysis. SUSTG also partners with respected U.S. and Saudi institutions to implement delegations, forums, meetings and other special projects.