Alibaba has long aimed to make a splash in the U.S., with a major goal of helping American businesses bridge the gap with Chinese consumers. The Chinese e-Commerce marketplace is taking another step in this direction by hosting its inaugural conference, Gateway ’17, at the Cobo Center in Detroit on June 20-21, 2017.
The event is designed to educate U.S. business, farmers and entrepreneurs on how they can explore growth opportunities in China and reach more consumers throughout the country. Currently, 7,000 U.S. businesses operate on Alibaba’s marketplaces — Tmall and Taobao — but the company wants to increase that total to more than 1 million.
Gateway ’17 is expected to attract more than 1,000 businesses across the U.S. The conference will include keynote speeches from leading entrepreneurs, including:
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Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group;
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David Abney, Chairman and CEO of UPS; and
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Charlie Rose, television anchor and journalist.
The conference also will include networking opportunities along with sessions designed to educate attendees about what’s needed to sell to Chinese consumers. Topics will include finding a partner company in China; understanding the logistics of shipping; and dealing with foreign exchange rates. Additionally, the sessions will introduce attendees to small Chinese businesses that maintain digital storefronts on Alibaba’s Tmall site.
In an open letter to invitees, Ma shared details of the potential opportunities U.S. businesses have upon entering the Chinese market:
“The Chinese market presents tremendous opportunities for U.S. small businesses and farmers to grow their businesses, and in turn, create more U.S. jobs. China’s middle-class population is projected to exceed 600 million by 2022, or nearly twice the size of the entire U.S. population. Last year, China surpassed the U.S. as the world’s largest retail market, with spending topping U.S. $4.84 trillion. By next year, China’s online spending will be greater than the rest of the world combined. At Alibaba, we want to help you take advantage of this appetite for consumption through our e-Commerce marketplaces.”
