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Korea will delight delegates to the Chambers Congress |
Chambers
share their greatest global asset - knowledge
Seoul, 13
March 2001 - Hundreds
of chambers of commerce will take part in a world congress in the Korean capital
in June on how they can seize the opportunities of the global economy for the
benefit of members.
The main theme of this second
World Chambers Congress will be knowledge sharing between chambers. There will
be sessions on how to improve operations and make sure chambers remain relevant
to the needs of members by providing new services adapted to a global marketplace
that offers instant communications to business partners.
The congress on 7-8 June,
co-hosted by the International Chamber of Commerce and the Korea Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, will strengthen links between chambers so that they make
more effective use of each others' business networks. The first World Chambers
Congress was in Marseille, France, in 1999.
Avijit Mazumdar, the Indian
business leader who is chairman of ICC's International Bureau of Chambers of
Commerce (IBCC), describes the Congress as a rallying point. He adds: "Chambers
of commerce know that to serve their members effectively in the global market
place, they need to work together." IBCC, part of ICC, provides a hub for
chambers of commerce worldwide.
Yong Sung Park, President
of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, adds: "The chambers already
have the technical means for working together in the World Chambers Network
(WCN) - an online service for linking business partners through the chamber
system. In Seoul, we shall be building the human relationships that are essential
to effective global cooperation."
Anthony Parkes, IBCC Executive Manager, says: "The great asset that chambers
bring to the global economy is national and local knowledge. There are 10,000
of them spread throughout the world - and they are the ideal channel for companies
that want to explore distant markets and make contact with reliable business
partners.
"The first chamber
of commerce was founded in Marseille over 400 years ago. But their work has
never been more relevant to business needs. When a company joins a local chamber
it is tapping into a global movement." Mr Parkes said.
Themes the world congress
will tackle include
- The type of management
chambers need in the 21st century;
- How to improve skills
by knowledge transfer between chambers;
- The major financial
issues facing chambers today;
- Diversifying the income
stream;
- IT and e-business for
chambers;
- Expectations of small
and medium-sized enterprises;
- New chamber services;
- Special needs of chambers
in developing countries.
Large delegations are already
expected from several countries, including Japan, China and Canada. The Confederation
of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Asian Development Bank,
Hewlett-Packard and Coca-Cola are just some of the sponsors who have guaranteed
their support.
Official
Congress Website
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the Congress
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