US-ASEAN Business Alliance for Competitive SMEs Events

The Business Alliance has held more than 40 events since its inception, reaching more than 6000 entrepreneurs in all 10 ASEAN countries. These events aim to assist ASEAN SMEs to be more competitive, more internationalized, and able to be part of the global and regional value chains.

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Wokshop on Improving SME Access to Regional and Global Markets

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Date: September 17, 2015
Participants: 130 SMEs

Partners: Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC), ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN), Agency for Enterprises Development of Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) of Vietnam, U.S. Embassy, USAID

Overview
The workshop consists of several trainings delivered by US multinational companies, including FedEx, Microsoft, MasterCard, and Baker & McKenzie which covered issues such as logistics and supply chain management, maximizing the usage of cloud technology, leveraging the digital payments for growth, and legal aspects of cross border e-commerce.

Wokshop on Improving SME Access to Regional and Global Markets

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Advance Training: Supply Chain Readiness Training – Electronics Sector

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Date: June 23, 2015
Participants: 100 Entrepreneurs

Partners: The Office of SME Promotion in Thailand, Federation of Thai Industries, U.S. Embassy, USAID

Overview
The training covered several topics such as: logistics and supply chain management – with a particular focus on procurement policies, manufacturing best practices and supply-chain management standards and compliance in the electronics sector, as well as best practices in hard disk drive industry.

Advance Training: Supply Chain Readiness Training – Electronics Sector

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Integrating Competitive SMEs into Global and Regional Markets

Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam
Date: May 20, 2015
Participants: 33 Entrepreneurs

Partners: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), ASEAN Business Advisory Council Brunei, the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resource of Brunei Darussalam, U.S. Embassy, USAID

Overview
More than 30 small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs participated in a discussion in Bandar Seri Begawan with members of the US-ASEAN Business Council to help improving their competitiveness in preparation for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015. Key topics discussed during the event include: supply chain management and logistics, customs, and tax issues for the SMEs, which was also followed by sharing session from a Bruneian SME’s success story.

Integrating Competitive SMEs into Global and Regional Markets

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Launching: P&G Leadership College and eBay’s Report ‘Commerce 3.0: Enabling ASEAN SMEs’

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dates: May 26-28, 2015
Place: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

Overview
The US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC), Procter & Gamble (P&G) and eBay Inc. (eBay) jointly co-organized a series of activities under the theme of “Celebrating US – ASEAN Relations’ on May 26-28, 2015, in conjunction with the 2015 ASEAN Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Showcase and Conference by SME Corporation Malaysia at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. At the US Pavilion, YAB Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, witnessed the launch of P&G’s Leadership College for SMEs’ together with the launch of the results of eBay’s report ‘Commerce 3.0: Enabling ASEAN SMEs’ were held in support for regional integration efforts and the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community at the end of 2015. US Ambassador to ASEAN, the Honourable Nina Hachigian; CEO for P&G Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, Nicolas de La Giroday; Wee Choo Hua, Head of Government Relations, Southeast Asia, Senior Director & Legal Counsel of eBay; and US-ABC Malaysia Representative, Ezani Mansor; were present at the signing ceremony. Also in attendance, was U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, The Honourable Joseph Yun.

Launching: P&G Leadership College and eBay’s Report ‘Commerce 3.0: Enabling ASEAN SMEs’

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Forum: ASEAN Competitiveness and the Role of SMEs

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Date: May 26-28, 2015
Place: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

Forum: ASEAN Competitiveness and the Role of SMEs

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SME Advance Training - Supply Chain Readiness Training: Garment and Footwear Sectors

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Date: April 7, 2015
Participants: 40 Entrepreneurs in Garment and Footwear Industry from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam

Partners: Nike, Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association, the Leather and Footwear Association of Vietnam, the Agency for Enterprise Development of Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam, U.S. Embassy, USAID

Overview
The training, held in Ho Chi Minh City, was focusing on logistics and supply chain management, which was followed by overview of supply chains’ best practices in garment and footwear industry. At the end of the training, participants were also had opportunity to join one-on-one consultation with the speakers. Through this advance training, the participants were expected to gained knowledge to assist them in integrating their business into global supply chain and to further improve their competitiveness.

SME Advance Training - Supply Chain Readiness Training: Garment and Footwear Sectors

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Meeting on Great Women – ASEAN Collection

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Date: March 23-25, 2015
Participants: 40 Women Entrepreneurs from ASEAN

Partners: The Office of SME Promotion Bangkok, ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN), the Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Associations of Thailand, U.S. Embassy, USAID

Overview
Women entrepreneurs from ASEAN met in Bangkok announced a regional product brand and marking platform called the GREAT Women (Gender Responsive Economic Actions for the Transformation of Women) – ASEAN Collection. From its base in the Philippines, this innovative approach and brand is being scaled up to a regional level to enable women entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia to be able to work collectively to foster fair-employment and fair-trade conditions, market their products beyond their own countries’ borders and protect their product designs from being illegally copied and sold. The three-day meeting on the GREAT Women-ASEAN Collection facilitated participants to plan, consult and brainstorm the development of GREAT Women—ASEAN Collection as an ASEAN regional marketing initiative and brand in support of gender economic mainstreaming. It will focus on three key issues: product group development, product business development and participation in product showcases and exhibitions.

Meeting on Great Women – ASEAN Collection

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Workshop on Good Business Practices for Competitive SMEs

Location: Cebu City, Philippines

Date: March 10, 2015
Participants: 150 SMEs

Partners: Google, Bureau of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development (BMSMED) of the Department of Trade and Industry; Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI); Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Philippine Exporters Confederation (PHILEXPORT); Cebu Business Club, U.S. Embassy, USAID

Overview
Located in Cebu City, the workshop featured one-on-one consultation sessions and mentoring between the U.S. company experts and the participating SMEs. The training, presented by US-ABC global leading member companies, covered several topics such as: international shipping: exporting to key global markets, strengthening market presence via online marketing, leveraging digital payment to improve SMEs’ bottom line, leveraging the power of technology for market competitiveness, as well as tax audit and planing. Besides the training, there were also several SMEs – Arte Cebuana, Inc., Loud Basstard Inc., and Art n Nature Mfg. Corp; who shared their experience to the fellow participated SMEs.

Workshop on Good Business Practices for Competitive SMEs

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Workshop on Good Business Practices for Improved Market Competitiveness

Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Date: January 30, 2015
Participants: 125 SME entrepreneurs

Partners: VISA, SME and Handicraft Department – Ministry of Industry and Handicraft of Cambodia, Young Entrepreneurs Association of Cambodia, the Cambodian Women Entrepreneurs Association, Cambodia Women Business Federation, the Hinrich Foundation, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, U.S. Embassy, USAID

Overview
More than 125 SME entrepreneurs attended a one-day workshop in Phnom Penh to upgrade their knowledge and skills on good business practices presented by US multi-national companies (MNC). Through this workshop, participants received training in good business, financial and legal practices and solutions, including e-commerce and logistic tools that will improve the competitiveness of their firms.

Workshop on Good Business Practices for Improved Market Competitiveness

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ICT Training for SMEs by Microsoft

Location: Vientiane, Laos
Dates: January 12-16, 2015
Place: Datacom Computer and Business Training Center, Vientiane, Laos
Participants: 45 Entrepreneurs

Partners: the Department of SME Promotion of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Lao PDR, U.S. Embassy, USAID

Overview
The training consists of: i) a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) course in Vientiane on 12-13 January 2015; ii) a three-day basic training course, including a business incubation sessions, on 14-16 January 2015. About 20 young Lao entrepreneurs joined the ToT course, which helped to create local human resources to provide future training on the use of ICT tools for better business start-up, development and management. A subsequent three-day basic training course for entrepreneurs was joined by some 25 participants, who gained skills and knowledge as well as received support on e-commerce and accessing online information on supplies and markets.

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