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Conference builds connections between trade industries
By Dan McCue
Staff Writer
The sudden emergence of India as South Carolina’s third largest trading partner and China’s continued dominance of global trade markets are expected to be focal points of discussion at the upcoming South Carolina International Trade Conference from May 22-24 in Charleston.
“They really seemed to almost come out of nowhere,” said South Carolina State Ports Authority spokesman Byron D. Miller of India’s trade activity with the state.
“While everyone is focused on the volume of trade coming out of China and the Far East—for good reason—trade between India and South Carolina has grown 500 percent over the past six years.”
Based on current registration numbers, more than 500 importers, exporters and transportation professionals are expected to attend the conference, which is being chaired by Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, the Orient Oversea Container Line’s director of sales and marketing for the South Atlantic Region.
Colbert-Busch’s brother, political satirist Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” is this year’s keynote speaker.
Like Miller, Colbert-Busch also believes talk of Asian trade will dominate both the programs and the water cooler talk among attendees at the conference.
“Bottom line, the Asia-U.S. trade lane is our money,” she said. “While you hear some people pushing back and complaining of the trade deficit, the fact is that China alone represents 1.3 billion consumers, and that’s changing the global trading landscape.
“It’s not only the United States that’s dealing with that change; it’s also Europe and even other countries in the Far East,” Colbert-Busch added. “We need to embrace this opportunity and work through the challenges it presents us.
“I think the underlying theme of this conference will be ‘let’s get the job done, grab the brass ring and not let other people eat our lunch,’” she said.
Independent conference
The 33rd annual event is one of the last remaining independent trade conferences in the country, according to Clarke Thompson, director of international trade for the South Carolina Department of Commerce.
“A lot of these events have been overtaken by their sponsors and become their conferences,” he said.
“Ours is still overseen and planned by a volunteer board, which makes it difficult sometimes but also incredibly fulfilling.”
The late Margaret Patrick, the state Department of Commerce’s representative in Charleston at the time, started the conference in the early 1970s as an offshoot of the activities of the South Carolina District Export Council.
Initially, the conference was geared toward manufacturers with an interest in exporting, but over time, it evolved to include logistics, service and transportation providers in the region.
“We used to draw about 900 people, but attendance declined for several years due to the recession and the resultant corporate belt-tightening,” Thompson said. “In response, over the years, we’ve beefed up our session speakers, striving always to have the top people in the various aspects of trade speaking on their areas of expertise.”
Vital information
Cathy Smuniewski, branch manager for UTC Overseas Inc., a North Charleston-based freight forwarder, said for her, the conference is an opportunity to receive updated global trade information that is vital to her job.
“As a customs broker and freight forwarder, we deal with ever-changing circumstances,” Smuniewski said. “Not only do the conference workshops help us stay ahead of the curve, they also give us insight into what the workshop moderators, who also happen to be the top people in customs, shipping and so forth, are thinking.”
Like Colbert-Busch and Miller, Smuniewski thinks the hot topic at this year’s conference will be South Carolina’s increasing trade with India. She also believes local freight forwarders and traders will be interested in hearing what the ocean carriers see as their industry’s future.
Information and fellowship
Vicki Holland, general manager for St. George Warehouse, a network of customs-bonded warehouses across the United States, described the import of the conference as two fold—one being the information that is traded; the other being the fellowship that is developed.
“In order to have the combination of both those ingredients, you have to have a conference,” she said. “And as a native, is there a better place than Charleston?”
Holland said the significance of sessions on trading, specific markets and transportation challenges is that attendees acquire “real knowledge from real people in the real world.”
“I see this conference as something that opens doors for so many opportunities in the international industry,’ she said.
For further information about the S.C. International Trade Conference, visit www.scitc.org online or e-mail questions to info@scitc.org.
Dan McCue is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail him at dmccue@charlestonbusiness.com.
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