Monday January 30, 2012

NCA Member Input Needed For Export Plan

Cologne, Germany — Developing tools for successful importing is the goal of the NCA’s new International Strategic Plan (ISP), which was detailed to some 40 attendees Saturday night as part of a “Beer & Brats” reception prior to the opening of ISM.

In partnership with Euromonitor International and Bryant Christie, Inc., the NCA is conducting interviews with member companies to develop the tactical plan. The ISP will focus on the global market, highlight market opportunities and define the resources members can use to succeed, according to Frank Amato, director of international markets at Just Born, Inc. and chairman of the ISP task force.

Additional surveys will be conducted in the coming months, a workshop will be held in April and the final plan is expected to be presented to members in June.

“We want to understand the needs and objectives of the members so that we can establish a plan that makes sense,” Amato said, adding: “This will be user-friendly and will be able to satisfy the needs of companies of all sizes.”

In terms of value growth in the $185 billion world confectionery market, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East are projected to grow in the next five years, according to quantitative data from Euromonitor. India, Peru, Indonesia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia are among the specific countries expected to see increases in confectionery sales for 2011 to 2016, according to Zandi Brehmer and Heather Prekop, of Euromonitor, who presented the preliminary findings of the interviews to identify key objectives.

Eric Rosenberg, of Bryant Christie, explained the NCA already takes on several roles including advocacy, research, promotion and education, and within those roles there are a number of tactics the association can implement to enhance the strategic plan.

However, he stressed: “We can only get there with honest feedback from NCA members.&rdquo