WorldCity Business Magazine

(1) President's Note

by Ken Roberts

When times get tough, keeping your company and you name in front of potential customers is more critical than ever.

With some admitted self-interest, we would suggest that means increasing advertising budgets, the value of which has been borne out in studies over the years. But it also means working hard to meet new people, to see people you know more frequently, to reach out, to make sure you are top of mind with as many people as possible.

With that in mind, WORLDCITY is proud to announce that in our June issue, we will launch our first-ever Organization Issue, an issue dedicated to South Floridas chambers of commerce, trade offices, consular offices and other organizations connected to international trade and business.

We already have about 180 such organizations in our database. Surprised? In a region conducting almost $80 billion in annual trade with 222 nations through its airports and seaports, in a region with 1,200 multinationals from 56 nations, employing more than 180,000 people and overseeing $203 billion in annual revenues, it isnt difficult to believe. We know these numbers the multinational statistics and the trade numbers because they are from our own research.

That research has been, in fact, sponsored by two such organizations, the Beacon Council and the International Trade Consortium of Miami-Dade County, respectively, and supported by a number of other companies. And rest assured we intend to dig into the Organization Issue with the same fervor and tenacity that we applied to our Global Economic Impact Survey, which is available for free download at www.worldcityweb.com, and the annual Miami TradeNumbers, which we will publish for the eighth time next month.

This month, as part of the second year of the Global Economic Impact Survey, we have started the first in a series of stories that will delve deeper into the multinationals in our database, looking at specific industries and the impact they have on South Florida. There was no industry more appropriate for the first installment than aviation and aerospace.

In coming issues, we will look at the legal profession, media, logistics and others. With regard to the Organization Issue in June, all of the organizations in our database will be listed at no charge, a public service we are happy to provide. We will also create opportunities for companies particularly supportive of certain chambers or organizations to help promote them through special sponsorships. Keeping your name in front of people is always important, but never more so than when times are a little tight.

Contact: kroberts@worldcityweb.com