After several years of strained global supply chains and significant challenges for businesses and economies alike, last year was the first year since COVID-19 that felt a little like a return to normal for international trade—the new normal, at least. Businesses were met with a huge surge in demand for goods and services in 2022, and the lessons they learned in flexibility during the pandemic allowed them to meet that demand. That’s why this year’s theme for World Trade Month is “Overcoming Challenges; Unleashing Growth.”
Since 1935, May has been designated World Trade Month, a time to recognize the important role international trade plays in the U.S. economy. It's also a time for people to learn about getting started as an exporter or expanding their existing business. The World Trade Month Association publishes a calendar of events taking place during May. Many of the events are free and most give importers and exporters an opportunity to learn more about various aspects of global trade.
If your organization is sponsoring an import-export event in May 2023, you can register your event at the World Trade Month website and have it added to the calendar. All submissions are subject to review and approval by the association. There is no charge for the listing.
While you're at the World Trade Month website, make sure to sign up for the email newsletter to be notified when additional events are added. Plus, we'll be publishing a fun fact about world trade each day in May, many of them highlighting all the records that were broken last year.
This year's free online webinars include:
Click the links above or visit the World Trade Month events page for details about these and other World Trade Month events.
World Trade Month, first celebrated as World Trade Week in 1927 by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, began “during a time of isolationism and under the conditions prevailing during the heyday of the restrictive Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act,” wrote the chamber.
In 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made World Trade Week a national observance. Since that time, World Trade Week has been celebrated during the entire month of May by a number of federal agencies, state trade offices, area chambers of commerce, World Trade Centers, trade associations and other public and private organizations. World Trade Month is a time to celebrate international trade and learn about many aspects of importing and exporting.
It's impossible to predict what the next year will bring for international trade. World Trade Month, and the educational tools that go along with it, are here to help importers and exporters position themselves for success, whatever comes next.
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