Representatives of the 2022 Supreme Committee from Qatar are in Los Angeles on the first leg of a three-city trade mission to the U.S. designed to discuss business opportunities in Qatar with American companies, it was announced today. The program, organized by the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce in Doha, kicked off with a breakfast at the Marriott Hotel, sponsored by Bilateral US-Arab Chamber in Houston, Texas, an international chamber of commerce that establishes connections between the U.S. and MENA (Middle East/North Africa).

The delegation, which will also stop in Portland, OR and Seattle, WA this week, is led by the Honorable Susan L. Ziadeh, U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar, and Mr. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Qatar Supreme Committee, and includes members of the U.S. Commercial Service.

Delegates will participate in networking receptions in each city, where they will be matched with U.S. companies in the industries of ICT, healthcare, business services, and travel and tourism. They will also visit stadiums and sports and entertainment facilities in preparation for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup Tournament, scheduled to take place in Doha.

“Qatar is ripe with opportunity for American businesses that can provide goods and services that support the country’s rapidly growing needs,” said Aida Araissi, Founder and President of The Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce. “We are proud to promote the FIFA World Cup, and make connections that produce results between business and government leaders in the United States and the MENA region.”

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa welcomed the Qatari delegation, noting that “L.A. hosted the World Cup in 1994, and there is a lot we can share from that experience.”

The trade mission is part of Qatar’s National Vision 2030 proposed by the Emir of the country, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Qatar’s Vision 2030 outlines the country’s plan to spend over $100 billion by 2022 on construction projects, road, rail and seaport improvements, and national infrastructure to support the 2022 FIFA World Cup Tournament. Qatar is among the top of the list of the world’s richest countries, having experienced 20% growth in their GDP in 2011, and imported $2.8 billion of goods from the United States that year.

The Bilateral US-Arab Chamber is an exclusive membership-based network of international business leadership that works to establish strategic connections between the United States and Middle East/North Africa (MENA) for the purpose of fostering economic growth, educational advancement and cultural understanding. Founded in 1997 by Aida Araissi, the Bilateral Chamber creates access, strategic options and positive results for its members by facilitating relationships with key decision-makers, helping to navigate through the complex field of international trade, and producing effective programming including trade missions, conferences, seminars, workshops, and educational exchange initiatives. The not-for-profit Bilateral Chamber membership includes Fortune 500 companies, private sector enterprises, thought leaders, and academic institutions from a wide range of industry sectors across the US and MENA regions. For more information about the Bilateral Chamber, visit http://www.bilateralchamber.org.

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