Alibaba Gateway 17 Coming to Toronto September 25
Alibaba will host a one-day event on September 25 in Toronto offering advice and education for Canadian businesses on how to reach the Chinese Market.
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The event, styled after the inaugural and successful Gateway 17 event in Detroit, follows up on the theme that Chinese consumers want products and experiences from North American businesses.
The Enercare Centre in Toronto will host the one-day event filled with speakers, breakout sessions, business solutions sessions, marketplace expo, and networking opportunities.
Jack Ma, Founder and Chairman of Alibaba Group will hold a keynote address at Gateway 17 Toronto.
“Canada’s high-quality products, fresh food, and travel experiences are highly sought-after by China’s vast and growing middle-class population who are looking online for the best goods and experiences around the world. Modern China has the potential to be a significant opportunity for Canadian businesses of all sizes. At Gateway Canada in Toronto we will talk about the bright future of opportunity between China and Canada,” said Ma.
Alibaba expects to attract about 500 businesses from across Canada to take advantage of this learning opportunity.
The company announced that Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister, Canada, Michael Evans, President, Alibaba Group, and Michele Romanow, “Dragon” CBC’s Dragon’s Den and Co-Founder of Clearbanc would also speak at the event.
PLANNED SESSIONS AND IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM
At Gateway 17 Toronto, Canadian businesses and entrepreneurs will find numerous breakout sessions on Chinese consumer trends and business solutions. They will cover highly sought after business segments such as fresh foods, premium seafood, and packaged foods.
A prime example of Chinese interest in quality seafood products is a recent Alibaba promotion. 90,000 Canadian lobsters were sold through the platform on a single day during one of the company’s annual promotions.
As in Detroit, Canadian entrepreneurs will learn about other market opportunities in home decor, high-end fashion, and mother & baby products.
The sessions will also include information about attracting outbound Chinese travelers, a major growth area in tourism.
Just today Alipay and Yelp announced a deal to make it easier for Chinese tourist to seek U.S. tourism and hospitality services. In Canada, Alibaba will discuss Fliggy, a gateway for Canada for Chinese tourists and discuss with attendees Alipay as a payment solution.
The tourism sector is of particular importance for Canada. This is a market segment that received little attention at the Detroit event.
Canada has an ethnic Chinese population of 1.6 million with a vibrant Chinese culture.
The country is popular in China as a travel destination. And with around 600,000 Chinese tourists visiting Canada last year, offers many opportunities for Canadian businesses.
EARLY BIRDS SAVE HALF PRICE ON TICKETS
If you sign up by August 31, you only pay C$250. Otherwise, Gateway 17 Toronto Admission will be C$500 after September 1st.
You can learn more about Gateway 17 Toronto by going to their website.
Are you from Canada and do you plan to attend? We’d love to hear your thoughts on the opportunity. Drop us a note in the comments section below.
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Richard Meldner
Richard is co-founder of eSeller365. He has over 17 years of experience on eBay which includes tens of thousands of sales to buyers in over 100 countries and even has experience with eBay’s VeRO program enforcing intellectual property rights for a former employer. And for about two years Richard sold products on Amazon using Amazon FBA in the US.
To “relax” from the daily business grind, for a few weekends a year, he also works for IMSA as a professional race official.