Faculty of Business and Administrative Sciences

SUSTAINABLE SME FOREIGN TRADE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
(Organized in collaboration with KOSGEB Istanbul Anatolian Side Directorate – IMES Dilovası OIZ – Istanbul Okan University)

As part of the Enterprise Europe Network Project, the KOSGEB Istanbul Anatolian Side Directorate, in collaboration with Istanbul Okan University’s Department of International Trade, will organize a free-of-charge SME Foreign Trade Management Program between January 28, 2019 – March 29, 2019, targeting companies operating in the IMES Industrial Zone.

The aim of this program is to strengthen the export infrastructure of participating companies and to ensure the sustainability of their export activities by planning future exports through market research, customer database creation, target country selection, and similar strategies.

Within the scope of the program, faculty members from Istanbul Okan University’s Department of International Trade will provide training to participant companies on the following topics:

• Business Management Systems of Foreign Trade Companies (in line with ICC principles)
• Market Communication / Target Market Selection Methods
• Common Misconceptions in Foreign Trade
• Interpretation of Macroeconomic Indicators
• Horizon Tour of Target Market Economies (Russia, China, India, Mexico, EU countries)

Following the training sessions, the same faculty members will also provide consultancy/mentoring services to the companies. Additionally, students from Istanbul Okan University’s Department of International Trade will support the effective implementation of the program by participating as interns in the companies.

At the end of the program, the following export-oriented targets are set for the participating companies:

• Identification of 10 target countries
• Creation of a customer database with 200 entries
• Selection of 50 potential clients to work with
• A minimum of $100,000 USD in exports
• Participation in at least 2 trade fairs (domestic and international)
• Participation in at least 2 buyer and seller delegation events

In this context, the companies are expected to participate in the following:

• Domestic Fair: WIN Eurasia Fair to be held at TÜYAP Fair and Congress Center between March 14–17, 2019
• International Fair: Hannover Messe 2019 - Industry and Industrial Fair to be held in Hannover, Germany, between April 1–5, 2019

These fairs will include international cooperation and matchmaking events with other participating companies.

(For the international fair in Germany, 60% of transportation and accommodation expenses per company (up to 3,000 TL) will be supported under KOSGEB’s Business Development Support Program – International Business Trip Support.)

For more detailed information about the program:
You can call 0216 528 21 00 extensions 2119 and 2136, or send an email to onur.yatir@kosgeb.gov.tr and kaan.kiral@kosgeb.gov.tr.