MEDIA RELEASE

March 1, 2022

 

TRADE ACCELERATOR PROGRAM RETURNS TO OKANAGAN

 

Kelowna: Okanagan businesses looking to grow their market beyond Canada will have a great opportunity to accelerate those efforts through the Trade Accelerator Program.  TAP returns to Kelowna in April as the Kelowna Chamber teams up with World Trade Centre Vancouver to deliver the three-day program in-person.  TAP provides participating businesses with essential strategies and export resources, helping them develop a customized Export Plan.

 

Ideal candidates are product and service-based companies in all industries from Interior BC. Kelowna is hosting the only TAP program outside the Lower Mainland/Island in 2022.  Canada’s Trade Accelerator Program (TAP) also covers two half days of support from trade experts  – held over a six-week period. 

 

Bursaries valued at $2,500 are available to qualified businesses.  For more information contact the Kelowna Chamber or check out our April events at  www.kelownachamber.org/events

 

Workshop Dates: April 11, 12, 13 from 9:00am to 4:30pm. Workshops are followed by virtual mentorship on May 18 and 19, and an all-day Integrated eCommerce interactive workshop on June 16.

 

Who should attend: 

  • Senior decision makers in SMEs, with typical annual revenue of $100K
  • Two years operation in BC
  • SMEs new to export activity and, SMEs already exporting wanting to expand export activity

 

See the next page for what previous attendees have said about the program

 

For more information: 

Lauren Martell, Member Services Manager

Kelowna Chamber, lauren@kelownachamber.org  250-469-7352

 

Direct registration link through Kelowna Chamber:

https://secure.kelownachamber.org/events/Trade-Accelerator-Program-BC-Interior-5170/details

 

 

WHAT ATTENDEES HAVE SAID ABOUT TAP

 

“Thank you to the TAP team for facilitating this valuable program.  We appreciate the way this was delivered, including: access to credible experts in all aspects of a business; a space for interactive group exercises allowed for thoughtful discussions on key business opportunities and challenges —participants shared their real-life experiences which made it real and invaluable.

 

Julian Scholefield and Jane Campardo Tolnai, Okanagan Crush Pad – TAP Graduates

 

 

“The process of writing your TAP Export Plan helps to develop a plan of action and refine your export objectives and strategies. In the end your TAP plan becomes a valuable tool whether your company is just beginning or have years of experience.”

 

Shane Sondermann and Lynn Heinrich, SunRype Products Ltd – TAP Graduates

 

“The Program is super helpful.  It’s delivered in a structure that understands we have a day-to-day business, and it can be hard committing to a timeline. It’s good that the program is done without dragging on for months.”


Jubi Steinhauer, Exec. Dir., Sofia Copado, Product Mgr., Food First Enterprises – TAP Graduates

 

“I feel like we now have a compass of sorts to find the path towards our export plan, whereas before, we were lost. I didn't know what to expect coming into this program, but I am EXTREMELY impressed. We had no idea where or how to start... this is definitely a massive jump start for us.”


Robert Theroux and Derek Hurst, Bad Tattoo Brewing Co. Ltd., TAP Graduates