Tastings of organic products at the global offices
ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA
MARKETPLACE AUSTRIA FOR FOOD AND BEVERAGE 2020/2021
‘It makes me proud that Advantage Austria was awarded a prize for the use of information technology at the 2022 World Trade Promotion Awards in Accra! The awards recognize bold, innovative trade promotion organizations that provide excellent trade support services. In addition, great attention is paid to value for money and sustainability of the services.’ ‘This is an event that works. It’s vibrant. People get together and they connect.’
Patrick Sagmeister
Deputy General Manager, Advantage Austria
WHAT THE JUDGES SAY
‘Very interesting project developed in answer to the pandemic.’
‘Excellent use of Austrian trade commissioners based in foreign countries to facilitate virtual meetings taking place between the sellers based in Vienna and the buyers abroad.’
Demand for organic and ethical food products is rising in global markets. Austria’s food producers hoped to fill that niche market with its products. When travel stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic, food exporters lost bargaining power and access to new international markets.
Marketplace Austria for Food and Beverage is a yearly marketplace for Advantage Austria’s 6,000 small firms to display their products. These businesses produce high-quality, organic and sustainable foods and beverages for food wholesalers and buyers in the hotel industry.
To continue the flow of commerce to small companies, Advantage Austria created a hybrid global marketplace. Buyers could not travel to Vienna, so sellers shipped products to Advantage Austria offices abroad. The offices hosted live tastings for buyers in Seoul, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney.
Advantage Austria worked with the B2Match platform to expand its services for the marketplace. B2Match registered businesses online, then matched sellers and buyers and provided virtual meeting space to make deals.
Cheese products
Virtual business-to-business meeting
VIRTUAL BRINGS FLEXIBILITY AND EFFICIENCY
Flexibility of on-demand access is appealing. Buyers have the option of physical or virtual meetings. Buyers can schedule meetings or live chat on the platform.
Advantage Austria noted a change in management behaviour. It was not essential for Austrian companies to travel abroad to promote their products. Using digital platforms, companies lowered costs with smaller venues and reduced their environmental footprints with less travel. Likewise, Austrian companies can use the global offices to promote their food products to interested buyers.
MEASURING SUCCESS
Despite overall negative national exports, food exports grew in 2020 (3.4%) and 2021 (8.7%). Marketplace Austria for Food and Beverage 2020/2021 brought 150 producers and 250 buyers together.
The B2Match platform hosted over 1300 international business calls. About 35% of companies took online meetings over both years. Participation grew from 22 countries in 2020 to 38 countries in 2021.
Marketplace Austria will continue to use this hybrid system. Advantage Austria upgraded its events platform and uses the hybrid style for other events as a result of the marketplace success.
‘After each of the three Marketplaces I've attended, I've gained at least one new customer who continues to buy in batches. I have also made countless contacts each year.’
Alexander W. Wine maker
‘My participations at Marketplace Austria led to many long-term business relationships in Portugal and Poland.’
Michael N. Sweets manufacturer
Advantage Austria
CONTACT Patrick Sagmeister Deputy General Manager
ADDRESS Wiedner Hauptstraße 63 A-1045 Vienna Austria
WEBSITE www.advantageaustria.org
CANADIAN TRADE COMMISSIONER SERVICE (TCS), GLOBAL AFFAIRS CANADA
MARKET POTENTIAL FINDER
Market Potential Finder Index Score
‘It is a great honour for the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service to have the Market Potential Finder recognized at the WTPO Awards. The tool has come a long way since its inception. We are proud of the work that has been accomplished, but we are also excited about the improvements we have planned for the future.’
Sara Wilshaw Chief Trade Commissioner, Canadian Trade Commissioner Service
WHAT THE JUDGES SAY
‘Well implemented project extends the use of the tool through the global network of stakeholders, from senior management to newcomers.’
‘Good emphasis and effort on training trade commissioners to benefit from the tool.’
The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) noted that small businesses were not taking advantage of free trade agreements in new markets to the extent they could. Unused tariff savings totalled in the hundreds of millions of dollars - significant lost opportunities for companies.
Canadians and small exporters responded in surveys that free trade was important to the national economy. Yet, there was limited understanding of how the agreements benefit companies.
Like exporters, trade commissioners identified areas where deeper knowledge was needed to better understand how free trade agreements helped businesses. There was a general sense that the agreements were too complex. TCS determined that its officers needed training to connect their clients with tariff savings in these new markets.
Market Potential Finder search by market
Market Potential Finder search by product
TRAINING AND TOOLS TO SUPPORT COMPANIES
To address these missing links, TCS gave commissioners online instruction on the free trade agreements and a new tool to locate export opportunities.
The tool was the Market Potential Finder, which was jointly developed by the Office of the Chief Economist and the FTA Promotion, Inclusive Trade & Trade missions division. This tool matches a company’s products to countries with potential opportunities based on market knowledge. It displays information in a colour-coded map. Red countries have very high potential for the product, and green countries have the lowest potential.
At first, the tool included only countries in the European market. Later, TCS added Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Upgrades included top suppliers in each country and observations from trade commissioners.
MEASURING SUCCESS
The Market Potential Finder showed trade commissioners how free trade agreements could increase companies’ competitive edge in global markets. After training, 87% of trade commissioners claimed they were now more likely to incorporate the tool in their daily work.
All trade commissioners located in 160 cities worldwide can access data for 30 markets on the Market Potential Finder.
New fixes for the tool:
- improve data quality and speed;
- smoother user experience;
- add new markets each year; and
- potentially offer the tool directly to all Canadian companies in the future.
‘The Market Potential Finder has been a great addition to the tools that trade commissioners, like myself, have at our disposal. Its quantitative nature enables us to provide value-added services to Canadian businesses.’
Kurt De Vries
Trade Commissioner, Ontario Regional Office
Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, Global Affairs Canada
CONTACT Sara Wilshaw Chief Trade Commissioner
ADDRESS Global Affairs Canada 125 Sussex Drive Ottawa, ON K1A 0G2 Canada
WEBSITE www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca
