The U.S. Grains Council’s upcoming annual meeting in Long Beach, Calif., is designed around the Advisory Teams (A- Team) — and for the newly created Middle East and Africa A-Team and Western Hemisphere A-Team, this will be their first official meeting.

“We’re looking forward to getting organized and getting started,” said Middle East and Africa A-Team Leader Philip McCoun. “The Middle East market is in transition due to the emergence of Black Sea competition. But at the same time, the Council is taking a heightened look at sub-Saharan Africa. The sub-Saharan markets have not yet emerged as major importers for U.S. grains, but we want to look ahead and start planting the seeds and building the relationships today.”

The 11th International Marketing Conference and 54th Annual Membership Meeting being held in Long Beach, Calif., Feb. 10-12, is an opportunity for A-Teams to review Council activities and strategies, and to adopt the Unified Export Strategy, the Council’s program planning instrument.

In the wake of the Bali agreements and with Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations in full swing … with biotechnology issues erupting around the world … and with the rise of South American and Black Sea competition and the launch of the new MAIZALL initiative, all the A-Teams have a full agenda. Since many key issues cut across multiple A-Team agendas, the Long Beach meeting will also feature a unique, joint A-Team session.

“Issues often surface multiple times,” noted USGC President and CEO Tom Sleight, “so this will be an opportunity for the A-Teams to cross-check their discussions. Then we will break again into the individual A-Teams and get down to work on the details. This will also be a great chance for delegates to sit in on an A-Team on which you might be interested in serving.”

The A-Team agendas are being developed now, so please feel free to contact your A-Team leader or staff liaison with suggestions.

The hotel deadline is quickly approaching, Jan. 10, 2014, so reserve your spot and register today! Additional information on the meeting can be found here.