VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUM #0532/01 3450457
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100457Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2600
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS ULAANBAATAR 000532 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EEB/CBA - Dennis Winstead 
USDOC FOR ZHEN-GONG CROSS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ABUD AMGT BEXP BTIO ECON EINV ETRD MGL
SUBJECT: 2008 BUSINESS FACILITATION INCENTIVE FUND (BFIF) FY08 
PROGRAM CLOSEOUT REPORT ULAANBAATAR FOR WORLD OF CONCRETE PROJECT 
 
Ref: State 73258 
 
¶1. Please find post's closeout report for the FY 2008 BFIF-supported 
2008 World of Concrete project. 
¶2. Text of report: 
Business Facilitation Incentive Fund 
Project Report - FY2008 
Date Submitted: December 9, 2008 
Project Manager: Michael D. Richmond, Senior Commercial Specialist 
Office: Economic and Commercial Section, US Embassy Ulaanbaatar, 
Mongolia 
Contact: +976-329-095; richmondmd@state.gov 
Project Title: Attending World of Concrete 2008 Show in Las Vegas, 
Nevada, January 21-25, 2008, to promote US construction materials 
and equipment sales in Mongolia 
Introduction: 
 
As part of its ongoing effort to promote U.S. construction goods and 
services sales in Mongolia, post received BFIF funds (USD 2,915.00, 
refer to State 5033 for fund cite information) to be used to send 
Commercial Assistant Ms. M. Altantsetseg to the World of Concrete 
(WOC), January 21-25, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Specific aims 
included: 
 
--Provide first hand knowledge of the Mongolian market and its 
opportunities to US vendors. 
 
--Facilitate commercial links among these American vendors with 
Mongolian and foreign firms actively building commercial, 
industrial, and residential structures in Mongolia.  We worked with 
Department of Commerce and WOC organizers on match-making the 
delegation with U.S. manufactures attending WOC. 
 
--Provide needed translation and interpretation services to 
Department of Commerce (DOC) Officers, WOC staff, Mongolian 
visitors, and U.S. suppliers. 
 
BFIF Project Support: 
 
The Business Facilitation and Investment Fund provided approximately 
USD 2,925 to cover air travel to and from Mongolia to Las Vegas; and 
three days of lodging expenses in Las Vegas. 
 
Breakdown of actual expenses (travel voucher data to follow in 
separate fax and email): 
 
USD 2,540: Roundtrip airfare from Mongolia to Las Vegas, NV 
USD   384: Six per diem days in Las Vegas, NV 
USD 2,924: Total 
 
Results of the Project: 
 
¶1. Outreach to Mongolian firms 
 
Post's commercial team aggressively researched and recruited 
Mongolian construction firms.  These efforts consisted of broadly 
distributing information on World of Concrete 2008 to over 200 
construction businesses through joint promotional activities through 
our local partner, the Mongolian Builder's Association (MBA), and 
through briefings of associations and face-to-face meetings with 
Ulaanbaatar-based construction firms.  These efforts yielded a 
Mongolian delegation composed of 34 individuals representing 20 
firms, associations, and government of Mongolia officials.  These 
firms were primarily interested in equipment and products related to 
concrete and building exteriors. 
 
When including other exhibitions for which we supported Mongolian 
delegations with and without the use of BFIF funds, including the 
2008 International Builders Show in Orlando Florida (20 Mongolians), 
Conn-Agg 2008 in Las Vegas (34 Mongolians), the 2008 Waste 
Management Show in Chicago (15 Mongolians), and the 2008 MINEXPO in 
Las Vegas (105 Mongolians), we see growth from 27 to 204 Mongolians 
over two years.  All of this was achieved through a program we 
created in 2006 and continued in 2007 and 2008 with on-going support 
from BFIF. 
 
¶2. Enhancing skills 
 
As the World of Concrete was new to both the Mongolians, and the 
Mongolians were a new customer base to many of the attending U.S. 
exporters, Commercial Assistant M. Altantsetseg had to develop 
additional skills to facilitate trade promotion.  Ms. Altantsetseg 
served as the delegation's semi-official English-language 
translator, requiring her to learn an entirely new vocabulary of 
construction terms and concepts related to building materials. 
 
¶3. Export results 
 
Following the delegation's return, our local partner, the Mongolian 
Builder's Association, surveyed the delegates regarding the USD 
277,800 in purchases made on goods and services associated with 
attendance at WOC 2008: 
 
--USD  91,000: Air tickets from UA, hotels, food 
--USD  28,000: Measuring tools and control devices 
--USD   5,000: Books and stationeries 
--USD  18,000: Electronic equipment 
--USD 115,000: Clothes and other apparel 
--USD  20,800: Jewelry 
--USD 277,800:  Total 
 
¶4. Follow-Up Activities: 
 
Post's Commercial section has maintained contacts with the leading 
professional construction association, the MBA, and individual firms 
that we originally employed in support of CONEXPO Asia 2006, 
continuing in 2007 and 2008 through the exhibitions mentioned above. 
 We are currently at work with the MBA on organizing two separate 
delegations for the 2009 International Builders Show in Las Vegas 
and the 2009 World of Concrete Show, also in Las Vegas. 
 
The Commercial Section at the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar intends to 
submit a project proposal to support the attendance of the 
Commercial Assistant M. Altantsetseg at the World of Concrete Show 
in Las Vegas, February 1-6, 2009. 
 
MINTON