Business roundtable: It is a commercial tool of planned and predetermined meetings,

which brings together supply and demand, those who offer products and services, and
those who require those products and services, in an environment conducive to doing
business and establishing commercial contacts for the short, medium and long term. It
is a very useful and profitable platform for companies that want to enter new markets. It
offers the opportunity to expand the portfolio of suppliers and buyers, and to evaluate
the interest generated by the product or service offered.
Its main and most effective instrument is pre-arranged business meetings, which are
characterized by being very objective and agile, and where participants must be
prepared to present their companies, products and services in a very effective manner.

Ideal climate for negotiations: The space to be used must be a large room, with
several entrances, an adequate area to locate the different tables or negotiation
centers, and have excellent communication and connectivity services.

It is very important to keep in mind that the event must take place in a climate and
environment suitable for negotiations.
1. Who participates in the business roundtable?

Organizing institutions: These are the ones that give structure to the event, which is
carried out based on objectives and goals that the institutions have set. The role of the
organizing institutions is very important, and they generally give credibility, image and
prestige to the event.
Offer: Made up of companies as providers of products and services.
Demand: Represents invited companies, demanders of these products and services,
to establish links and commercial contacts with the offering companies.

2. Types of business meetings

Monosectoral: These are aimed at a single economic sector: fruit, hotels, etc.
Multisectoral: These call for different economic sectors: agriculture, tourism, etc.
National and regional: In these, participants come from the same country or region.
International: These are large events that include participants of international stature.

1 Time: A successful business roundtable basically requires time, and it takes at least
six to eight months to compile cross-referenced data and coordinate interviews, once
the objective, theme and nature of the roundtable have been defined.
2 Dissemination: Promote and develop a comprehensive promotion and
dissemination strategy. Brochures that reflect and promote the event must be available.

With the sponsorship of the press, it is possible to promote and disseminate the event
very effectively. Press conferences are another very suitable way of disseminating and
promoting the event.
3 Registration form and interview request: The registration form is the document
that registers and enrolls the entrepreneur and company to the event. It must be easy
to understand and have examples that show entrepreneurs how to fill it out correctly
and boost their company. It should include the company name, location, contact person
with phone number, email, products offered, added value to the product, and a brief
description of the company.

Fair pricing and product quality will be vital to attract the attention of potential
customers. The document should also very clearly define the products you will offer.
The data provided by the employers with their offers and/or requests in the interview
request will be used for matchmaking and consequently for arranging appointments.
Matchmaking is an English term that refers to the mediation that a company or
institution carries out between suppliers and applicants for the identification and
selection of companies, in the scheduling and arranging of business appointments or
interviews.

All company data will be included in the catalogue as a business guide for participants
before, during and after the event. At the time of the appointments, it will be very useful
to have samples of the products, and sufficient promotional and dissemination material
for them: catalogues, posters, brochures, business cards, maps, promotional materials,
etc., so it is highly recommended to let the companies know when registering.

4 Business preparation: It is recommended that there be two participants representing

companies, so that they can support and complement each other during the
negotiation. Preferably, one of them should be the manager or owner of the company.
They must be people who are committed to the company's objectives, its products and
know how to manage them.
Ideally, they should have good interpersonal relationships, the ability to close deals,
make decisions, and speak two languages if they participate in international fairs. It is
vital to have a very good command of the catalogue and other exhibition materials.

Prior to the event, organizers usually plan training topics to prepare entrepreneurs so
that they can make successful contacts, so it is highly recommended to take into
account and participate in these trainings. They are provided with marketing,
merchandising, and effective time management techniques that they can use when
doing business.

5 Opening: Since the business roundtable requires a full day of activities, it is

suggested that the opening ceremony be held the night before, with the appropriate
protocol. This is followed by the ceremony in which the objectives of the business
roundtable are presented, thanks are given to the cooperating entities, the participants
are welcomed, and a brief explanation of the methodology that will be used during the
business day is given.

A cocktail party will follow, which will help create a favorable environment for
businesspeople to get in touch and get to know each other. It is important to have as
much media coverage as possible.

6th Business Roundtable Day

Participant registration: This is done upon entering the event and the participant is
provided with identification, instructions, an evaluation form, a catalogue and an
appointment calendar with the most appropriate contacts, according to their
requirements.
Appointment calendar: With the data entered in the registrations and interview
requests, the program determines the business appointments for each entrepreneur.
The appointment list will show the time, the company code you are meeting with, and
the number of the table where the appointment will take place.
Location at designated table: Each bidder will be assigned a table where they must
place all information and samples. You must wait there for clients, according to
scheduled appointments and times. It is advisable to have a laptop for appointments,
for a brief presentation of the company and products.
Development of the appointment schedule: The requesting companies begin to look
for the numbered tables, according to their appointment schedule, and start with a bell
signal or a microphone call. At the end of the scheduled time, the participant must be
alert for his or her next interview.
Throughout the day, care must be taken to maintain the pre-established schedule and
order, and ideally, each appointment should last between 15 and 30 minutes, thereby
achieving the greatest number of contacts. In order for entrepreneurs to be able to
close deals in such a short space of time, they must be very well prepared, which is
why prior training is highly recommended.

The support and service of the team of hostesses and supervisors is extremely
important. Each one will be assigned to a group of participating companies, knowing
perfectly well their supply and demand, and the appointments they have scheduled
throughout the business roundtable.

If for some reason the businessman does not have a counterpart, the aide-de-camp
can assist him and find a new effective appointment.

Contact record: It is very important to keep a record of contacts, so as not to lose any
information about contacts made and future clients.
It must have at least the following information: name of the requesting company,
contact person, position, telephone number, email, website, the product in which the
request is made, commitment generated by the offering company, this may be the
sending of a quote, list of other products, CIF price quote, as examples.

Evaluation of the appointments made: An evaluation sheet will be provided, and

time will be given for the businessman to evaluate each business appointment, whether
it is a supplier or a demander. It must be a very concrete and subtle assessment so as
not to waste time and move on to the next meeting, and so as not to violate the
negotiators' own reservations.

Product definition
The Business Roundtable could be defined as a simple and direct action mechanism,
which consists of meetings of businessmen, institutions and organizations, from one or
more countries, who wish to hold meetings and promote contacts between them, with
the purpose of doing business and associative relations.
The Business Roundtable is an instrument that allows inter-company transactions in
services and/or goods for the development of those companies that participate in it. It
allows companies to initiate international activities; to carry out market studies at
reduced costs; to know and access new markets; to new business opportunities; to
discover that cross-distributions can be carried out, even with competing companies; to
know the adaptations that must be made to the products.
Among the goals that can be achieved through the application of the Business
Roundtable, we have the following:
1. To boost economic integration between the different countries participating in
the Round.
2. Encourage small and medium-sized Latin American businesses to increase
their interest and management in international business.
3. To provide better knowledge about your current and potential market and level
of international competitiveness.
4. The introduction or contact between companies through an institutionalized
business meeting increases the levels of trust and, by providing additional
information, can contribute to reducing the number of meetings necessary to
close a business deal.
5. Accumulation of organizational and management knowledge carried out by the
organizing institution.
6. Prepare SMEs to develop flexible behaviour in response to the requirements
and proposals of other economic agents.
 7. Strengthen the development of regional spaces aimed at cooperation with the
Latin American market preferably.
8. Provide economic information to help locate market niches for the region's
products. The majority of these come from small businesses and require
guidance to establish new forms of business association in line with the
globalisation of the economy and economic and social integration.
9. Search for spaces for cooperation between companies, individual producers,
workers, business associations, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Non-
Governmental Development Organizations (NGDOs), regional governments,
the central government and its specialized institutions.
10. Development of cooperative relations with binational organizations and
multilateral organizations.
11. Facilitate contact between small and medium-sized businesses and buyers,
suppliers, investors, financiers and other international economic agents.
Materialize joint investment projects. Achieve increasing interaction in the field
of negotiations. Exchange technology and reach trade and service agreements.
12. Instrument or mechanism that reduces coordination costs between companies
from different countries.
13. Promote exports and imports of products and services (raw materials, parts and
pieces, semi-finished products, final manufactures). Search for or grant
correspondent, distribution and commercial representation.
14. Expand the market for franchises, brand licensing and technology transfer.
15. Attract investments, financing lines and business opportunities. Promote joint
ventures.
16. Develop new forms of association, joint ventures with related or complementary
industries, value-added associations to conquer other markets.
17. Promote outsourcing.
BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE FEATURES
1. It is a mechanism for direct participation of entrepreneurs.
2. It is selective, prioritizing the products and services that you want to deal with.
3. It is an activity that is carried out through business interviews that last between
20 - 45 minutes (as determined).
4. The organizers carry out a series of preliminary and orientation activities that
allow reducing management and information costs for participants.
5. Reduces costs for other economic operators in making national and
international contacts.
6. Businesspeople, consultants and officials from any economic sector, regardless
of their size and nationality, and who have paid their registration form, may
participate.
7. According to studies conducted by ECLAC, there is currently a higher degree of
success in closing deals in specific or sectoral meetings.
It is known that the establishment and specialization of business meetings is
going from less to more. Initially, the wheels were only an accompaniment to a
fair and/or larger event. Today, it can be observed that wheels are developed
outside of these events and have acquired their own physiognomy.
ACHIEVEMENTS
1. Cooperation in the promotion and development of small and medium-sized
enterprises.
2. Agreements and negotiations that contribute to the integration of countries.
3. New ways of connecting to stay informed.
4. The final by-products of the Wheel are: The Directory of guests and participants
and the compendium of catalogues. In addition, the experience and practical
market research carried out by entrepreneurs.
LIMITATIONS
 1. The most important one is the lack of time to organize the Wheels. A Wheel
must be prepared six months in advance.
2. Limited budgets. A comprehensive exclusive budget for the Wheels is
recommended.
3. Physical space and services.
4. National and international dissemination.
5. There is little knowledge about the meaning of the Business Roundtable.
6. Problems on the operational side.
The activities for the development of a Business Roundtable have been taken from
the III Manual for the Conduct of Business Roundtables developed by the IDB INTAL,
which has developed software for its proper management.
1. Determination of the characteristics of the Wheel.
Determine with the organizing institution and other agents involved the design of the
Wheel. Its objectives, scope, approximate costs, sponsorship, date, location, duration
and approximate number of participants. Coordinations and tasks.
2. Promotion: within the country and abroad.
Based on the characteristics, promote and develop an entire promotion strategy for the
tool. This is where the success of the event lies. You should take the time necessary to
achieve the best possible result and spare no expense in the belief that it is an
investment that will be recovered with the results.
3. Preparation of registration and information documents.
The design of the sheet reflects the amount of information required to develop the tool.
It should be easy to understand and include examples that show entrepreneurs how to
fill and enhance their business.
4. Filling out registration forms.
It is understood that those who are the first to submit the information requested in the
files will appear in the first catalogue, thus having greater comparative advantages than
those who do not do so with due notice. Many foreign entrepreneurs are waiting to see
the catalogue and directory before deciding whether to participate.
5. Preparation of the first catalogue of offers and demands and directory of
participants.
It will serve to keep business owners informed of the offers and demands of products
and/or services that are present at the business meeting and in this way they can
subsequently fill out their request for appointments on the first day of the meeting.
6. Inauguration of the Wheel (motivational talks may be given).
It is the formal act that must have the prestige that the event requires. One must bear
in mind that businessmen from other countries are coming and the country's image is
at stake. Everything must be well planned and seek the greatest possible media
coverage.
7. Interview requests.
Mechanism with which the wheel itself starts. The businessman requests an
appointment with another businessman, whether national or international. The
application must include the details (company, code, sector and country) of your
company and the companies you wish to interview with. In addition, prioritization is
recommended to facilitate the program's relationship with interviews.
8. Application of a program for making appointments. (1st day)
Using the data entered in the interview requests, the program determines the business
appointments for each entrepreneur who has requested them. This list will show the
time, the code of the company you are meeting with, and the number of the table
where the meeting will take place. It should be understood that when there are only a
few entrepreneurs, appointments can be arranged without the help of the program.
9. Carrying out scheduled appointments.
Personalized work is required to assist business owners and help them with the
process of locating their table and possible alternatives if their counterpart does not
attend. (other quotes or videos and/or motivational talks). The time must be fully
complied with because the normal running of the Wheel depends on it.
10. Evaluation of the appointments made.
The necessary time is given for the businessman to evaluate his business
appointment. One must be subtle in the evaluation questions and not violate the
negotiators' own reservations.
11. Preparation of a second catalogue of offers and demands and directory of
participants.
Entrepreneurs who registered late must be included in a new catalogue and directory
that will be used for the second (and/or third day if it has that duration) interviews.
12. Requests for interviews for the second (and/or third day).
Appointments that could not be made due to high demand may be rescheduled. The
same applies to companies that have just registered.
13. Application of a program for making appointments. (2nd day)
As with the first day, appointment requests will be cross-referenced and a list will be
drawn up for the second and/or third day (if it lasts that long).
14. Carrying out scheduled appointments.
Just like the first day, the requested interviews are conducted.
15. Evaluation of the appointments made.
Process similar to the first day.
16. Survey to evaluate the final result of the Wheel.
Applied either generally to all participants or to a sample of them, evaluating requested
interviews vs. agreed, commercial results obtained, an estimate of the results in
amounts (US$). Also aspects related to the organization, participation, interest, opinion
about the event, how they found out about the event and suggestions and comments.
17. Analysis of results.
On the part of the Organizing Committee, based on the planned and actual number of
attendees, the achievement of the objectives set and the expectations of attendees
based on their evaluation and the survey applied.
18. Final report.
Referring to both qualitative and quantitative evaluation. The economic and financial
reports, achievements and limitations obtained will be recorded.