On the margins of MACC’s 2024 Trade Mission

MACC’s 2024 trade mission to ASEAN ended in Ho Chi Minh City, after having fulfilled commercial and institutional agendas in Singapore and Jakarta. Although the main objective is always focused on attending the current trade mission, the activities carried out on the margins of the mission are intended to follow up on issues initiated in previous trade incursions.

This time, the meetings «on the margins of the mission» were held between November 14 and 25 in Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur.

Bangkok, Thailand

MACC Paraguay President Bruno Jaen Bohorques held meetings in Bangkok with Aeromovel, attending the presentation that the transport company made to him about various parts of the world where it is already operating.

In turn, the company expressed its interest in submitting to potential tenders in the MERCOSUR region for new railway lines. For his part, Bohorquez explained the benefits of investing in Paraguay.

He then held a meeting with the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), with which MACC signed an agreement in 2023.

At this meeting, topics were discussed regarding future business travel organizations, as well as upcoming meetings for the organization of specific activities, promotion for EXPO 2025 and collaboration between MERCOSUR institutions and FTI for the exchange of best practices for SMEs.

He then attended meetings with Yvan, from E Sport; then with Dr. Hor, from LPN Plate Mill; then with the company SCG; then with Muay Thai Boxing Arena, with which the possibilities of organizing events in Brazil were discussed. Finally, meetings were held with the Healthtech StartUp Association.

The President of MACC Paraguay thus completed two days with a successful agenda and great potential for the links between Thailand and MERCOSUR.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Global President of MACC, who writes this, held meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Undersecretary of State, HE, Ouk Sorphorn, to discuss Cambodia’s presence in Argentina and in the region, as well as trade opportunities between Argentina and Cambodia and development in the academic area.

In the evening, he was invited by Young Entrepreneurs of Cambodia to a dinner offered at an elegant restaurant in Phnom Penh together with a group of entrepreneurs in the areas of logistics, IT, trading and construction.

They belong to YEAC (Young Entrepreneur Association in Cambodia), an entity that integrates the AYEC (Asean Young Entrepreneur Council), with which MACC has signed a collaboration agreement.

At the meeting, commercial issues of investment and Joint Venture were discussed, as well as a future business visit from Cambodia to Argentina.

Hanoi, Vietnam

In Vietnam I was invited to visit the Viettel plant, the most important communications company in the country, where I was received by the General Director.

The Argentine Ambassador to Vietnam, HE Marcos Antonio Bednarski, participated in the meeting.

On that occasion, I thanked the Viettel executives for the welcome, especially the Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina, HE Ngo Minh Nguyet, for her support in the management with this company, as well as the Argentine ambassador, HE Antonio Bednarski, for his presence on this important occasion.

At that meeting, I signed a Strategic Distribution and Collaboration Agreement and a contract to purchase the first container of Viettel products for a telecommunications company in Argentina.

After that meeting, together with the Argentine Ambassador, I participated in a lunch organized by the Viettel Executives.

After the lunch, I had the opportunity to visit the Viettel production plants.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

As Global President of MACC, I visited the Aerodyne plant, an important drone and services company, where I was received by its executives. Aerodyne currently has operations in 47 countries.

During the meeting, the details of the Malaysian company’s upcoming operations in Argentina and the collaboration agreements with the MACC were discussed.

After the meeting, I held meetings with the MACC representatives in Malaysia: Natasya Suziyana and Azam Ismail Bakri, when we had the chance to schedule the activities of the Mercosur-ASEAN Chamber for 2025 in that country.

In the afternoon, I met with Deborah Bottreau, Secretary General of AYEC (ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Council) and President of MAYA (Malaysian Young Entrepreneurs Association).

At that occasion, the next meetings between both associations were coordinated and planned.

Conclusion

Missions always leave a “trail” of possibilities and business contacts that, if followed up with disciplined follow-up, transform these possibilities into concrete operations and projects.

The “follow-up” or follow-up after commercial and institutional missions is the key that opens the way to closing the deal.

This is a habit that is not yet properly consolidated in our business culture.

Presence in the region, perseverance and continuity in communication are necessary behaviors in ASEAN, if one intends to close a deal.

From MACC, we try to encourage this habit, respecting of course the privacy of each company in the businesses that it intends to carry out in ASEAN.

However, this cultural habit in business must be clear from the first moment that the decision is made to expand business in the region.

The activities that MACC develops “on the margins of the mission” involve the practice of said behaviors, which end up crowning the concrete closing of the commercial projects.