The U.S. Commercial Service in Calgary hosted the largest, single-country pavilion at the Global Petroleum Show (GPS) in Calgary, Alberta from June 11-13. State delegations from Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Montana, and Virginia were present among the 80 companies from across the United States. These U.S. companies were interested in entering the Canadian market, making new contacts, and collecting information and insight of Canadian business needs and practices.
Calgary’s Commercial Service hosted a breakfast briefing for members of the delegation to address considerations when doing business in Canada such as taxes, logistics, packaging requirements, and general business practices with Canadians. Delegates participated in a Networking Rodeo to meet with fellow U.S. companies and exchange best practices and experiences reaching into the Canadian market, while enjoying professional bull riding and rodeo.
The Montana delegation was led by State of Montana Governor, Steve Bullock. Governor Bullock highlighted the potential of the Montana-Alberta relationship as the two jurisdictions are culturally similar, have close geographical proximity, and both understand the obstacles faced when working in harsher climates. Governor Bullock also led a delegation of Montanan post-secondary administrators who met with Alberta post-secondary institutions to discuss opportunities for collaboration in research and education, looking at combined degrees and exchanges.
The Global Petroleum Show is an annual event that drew approximately 50,000 attendees this year. For more information on services offered by the U.S. Commercial Service in Calgary, click here and check out our Facebook album for our coverage of GPS.
