U.S. Department Of Commerce To Present Americas Textile & Apparel Competitiveness Forum In Connection With April 2008 Material World Miami Beach

Atlanta, GA - In connection with the April 8-10, 2008 edition of Material World Miami Beach, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) will host Americas Textile & Apparel Competitiveness Forum - Realizing the Benefits of Western Hemisphere Trade. The forum will take place on Monday, April 7, 2008 at the Miami Beach Convention Center from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

The forum will be moderated by Matt Priest, who is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles and Apparel at the U.S. Department of Commerce and Chairman of Committee for Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA). This presentation will bring together leading manufacturers, industry associations and regional government entities to discuss topics including: the benefits and challenges of textile and apparel trade within the hemisphere; textile trade policy initiatives and direction, preferential programs and free trade agreements; supply chain, logistics strategies and challenges (speed to market).

"The Bush Administration considers free trade and increasing the competitiveness of the Western Hemisphere to be one of our highest economic priorities," said Priest. "During this forum, we will highlight how success in the textile and apparel industries increases prosperity, creates jobs and makes the hemisphere the most competitive place in the world to do business. Material World is providing an important forum that will be an informative resource for those in the textile and apparel industry."

"We're pleased that OTEXA has chosen Material World to host this Forum," adds Betty Webb, show director, Material World. "Global sourcing continues to become more complex and the opportunity to work with OTEXA to offer our industry the tools they need to be competitive in this hemisphere is important to us all."

The forum was developed in an effort to enhance textile and apparel trade and to take advantage of the U.S. Free Trade Agreements in the Western Hemisphere. Currently, the United States has Free Trade Agreements with Mexico, Canada, Chile, Central America and the Dominican Republic and has negotiated agreements with Peru, Colombia and Panama. The U.S. imports and exports more than $35 billion worth of textile and apparel goods in the region annually.

Admission to the forum is free, however attendees must register for this program in advance. Attendees may visit the Material World website, www.material-world.com to pre-register for the trade-only event as well as the forum. Registration for the event will be held on Monday, April 7, 2008 from 3:00 -3:30 pm. Discussions will take place from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Following the discussion, a reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. to allow further interaction and dialogue.

For more information, please contact Richard Stetson at 202-482-2582 (richard_stetson@ita.doc.gov).

SOURCE: Material World