The annual Holiday Luncheon will be held on December 5, at the Out Door Country Club in York. Join us for the networking event of the holiday season. The event includes lunch, a networking dessert reception, and a program on international gift giving. The cost to attend the lunch will be $30 for members and $45 for non-members. Special thanks to our Corporate Sponsors: Cumberland County Economic Development, First Energy, Fulton Bank, and MANTEC, Inc.

Mark your calendar for the annual Global Economic Outlook, which will be held on February 5 at the Eden Resort in Lancaster, PA. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Jay Bryson from Wachovia Bank to present the international economic forecast for 2008.

Jean-Pierre Giboz has joined Pennsylvania's list of International Trade Representatives. He will focus on France and Belgium. His experience includes international product development, marketing, and negotiations with international groups worldwide. The office provides numerous services, including foreign market research reports, agent distributor search, business appointment scheduling, trade show support, and more. To access the services of his office, please contact our office at 717-843-1090.

U.S. Exporters who advertise in the January/February issue of Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, will receive a free ad in their first Arab language edition (the translation into Arabic is also free). Companies will also receive a 50% discount on their ad in the March/April issue. This is an incredible opportunity to reach the magazine's 400,000 bi-monthly readers in 176 countries as well as an additional 10,000 new readers in the Middle East.

The 2007 General Assembly of the World Trade Centers Association was hosted by the New Orleans World Trade Center from October 20 -24. This annual event brought together 300 participants, representing 80 World Trade Centers from around the globe. During the General Assembly, the WTCA Board of Directors accepted 18 new World Trade Centers into the WTCA, bringing the total number of World Trade Centers to 309 organizations in 88 countries. The World Trade Center of Central Pennsylvania was represented by Ralph Rhode of First Energy, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Tina Weyant, Executive Director. Delegates had the opportunity to network with other WTC members, explore new international trade resources, and share best practices and innovative programs implemented by WTC's in an effort to promote peace and stability through trade. Governor Kathleen Blanco and Mayor Ray Nagin, City of New Orleans provided updates on the progress of the state's economic recovery and ongoing incentives aimed to attract more investment into the region. The next WTCA General Assembly will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 2- 5, 2008.

The Virtual Trade Advisor (VTA) is an online tool designed for Pennsylvania companies interested in growing their international business. VTA consolidates several sources of market research and trade data into easy-to-understand reports. Every report is based on a product, and can be customized by country. Register now at www.newpa.com/trade.

York Wallcoverings Home Design Center is hosting a Charity Silent Auction called "Deck the Halls for a Great Cause" November 10-19, 2007. There will be dozens of trees beautifully decorated by non-profit organizations available for bidding. Happy Hour for the event will be held on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tickets for Happy Hour are $25 each and include the chance to participate in a Live Auction of York Wallcoverings Designer-Decorated Trees plus a 25% savings voucher good for your entire purchase on most everything in the store. If you are interested in a ticket for the Live Auction on November 14, 2007, please contact Sandy Drawbaugh at drawbaughs@yorkwall.com or 717-851-0476. If you are interested in participating in the Silent Auction, please stop by their Design Center at 201 Carlisle Ave., York anytime between November 10 and November 19.

The U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts (PA-16) will provide an informative briefing on Tuesday, November 13 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Southern Market Center, 100 South Queen Street, Lancaster. Deborah Doherty, U.S. Commercial Service Harrisburg, and Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA-16), will provide a comprehensive overview of the exporting process, its benefits and solutions to challenges. Deborah will answer questions and explain assistance available to companies to support their venture into international marketing. The U.S. Commercial Service works with export-ready small and medium- size companies to help them enter or expand international markets and increase their sales and profits. If you currently do business abroad or are considering exporting, please attend this session. Send your RSVP to David Greineder, Advocacy Director, at dgreineder@lcci.com or call at 717-397- 3531.