Another interesting international event

This event will be of interest especially for women.

International Visitors Center of Chicago organizes a reception honoring the 2008 U.S. State Department Middle East Partnership Initiative Fellows(a/k/a the "MEPI Ladies")

WHEN: Tuesday, August 19 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: the hospitality suite and rooftop terrace of the MDA City Apartments 63 East Lake Street, Chicago

Join the party and mingle with outstanding business and professional women from the Middle East and North Africa,with a special performance by the SIFA Africa Children's Choir of Ugandaand refreshments by the award-winning chefGloria "The Hat" Hafer

PRICE: $25.00
RSVP by August 15 at the IVCC website: http://www.ivcc.org/

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Celebrate Olympic Games!

Join young professionals, members and friends of the International Visitors Center of Chicago and the International Trade Club of Chicago to celebrate the start of the Olympic Games! This is a unique opportunity to mingle with international community in Chicago. There will be opportunity to network with a great group of professionals.

WHEN: Friday, August 8, 2008 6:30 - 10:30 p.m.
WHERE: Dave and Buster's 1030 N. Clark Street Chicago, IL 60610
Cost - $30

The festivities include a buffet dinner, cash bar, trivia games & prizes, and lots of socializing. We will enjoy our party in a private room with a huge TV screen airing the Opening Ceremony.

RSVPs required. To register, please contact Lexy Sobel at (312) 254-1800 x102 or Lsobel@ivcc.org

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Networking dinner

The event below will be of interest to the international crowd, especially if you are in business. Also it is a great opportunity to get to know these important Chicago organizations that hold a lot of interesting events: International Trade Association and Swiss-American Business Council.

THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE ASSOCIATION OF GREATER CHICAGO
with the Swiss – American Business Council
Invite you to a dinner program:
THE U.S. DOLLAR’S FUTURE AGAINST THE EURO,
SWISS FRANC, JAPANESE YEN AND CHINESE YUAN

Presentations by:
Angie Kappel
Vice President, Foreign Exchange
KeyBank

Nicholas Savramis
Senior Vice President, Currency Risk Mgmt.
Charter One Bank

The U.S. dollar lost 15% of its value against major currencies over the course of last year.
Our experts will discuss the recent movements of the U.S. dollar and provide an outlook
for importers and exporters to plan for currency movements through the balance of 2008.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
ROSEWOOD RESTAURANT
9421 West Higgins Road, Rosemont, IL
5:30 p.m. – Registration
6:00 p.m. – Program
7:00 p.m. – Dinner

ITA/GC and SABC members and their guests - $40; Non-members - $50

Please Make Your Reservations Early: Contact the ITA/GC by 4:00 p.m., Friday, July 18
Tel: 773/725-1106 rsvp@itagc.org Fax: 773/725-2294

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June FREE networking opportunities

June will be a great month for FREE networking opportunities:

EURO 2008 - EUROPEAN SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP 2008 IN SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA will kick off on June 7. Swiss-American Business Council, Goethe Institute and Austrian Consulate General in Chicago will be organize events around several games (see the schedule below). And each event will be a great opportunity for meeting people, social interaction but also business networking because a lot of the people who are on the distribution list of, say, Swiss-American Business Council are businessmen, entrepreneurs, etc. They will draw a good international crowd to these events so it is definitely worth checking them out!

OPENING MATCH of EURO 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
10:30 AM
(Kick-off time 11.00 AM)
SWITZERLAND : CZECH REPUBLIC
LIVE FROM THE ST. JAKOB STADIUM BASEL
Light Hors d’Oeuvres will be served
Cash Bar
Prizes will be raffled off during the intermission
ADMISSION FREE
Lobby, 323 East Wacker Drive, Chicago
RSVP by Friday, May 30, 2008. Email: http://b4.mail.yahoo.com/ym/emadvice.com/Compose?To=chi.culture@eda.admin.ch or call: 312 915 4528

Switzerland : Turkey
on Wednesday, June 11 beginning at 6 :00 PM
Austria : Germany
on Monday, June 16 beginning at 6 :00 PM
Emmit’s Irish Pub
495 North Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
http://www.emits.com/ or phone 312 563 9631
Hosted by the Austrian Trade Commission
Swiss-American Business Council (SABC)

Eleven Minutes – SOCCER short films
on Thursday, June 12
beginning at 6:00 PM
Goethe Institut Chicago
150 North Michigan Ave, Suite 200, Chicago
www.goethe.de/chicago or phone 312 263 0472
Hosted by the
Goethe Institut
Consulate General of Switzerland
Austrian Consulate General

EURO 2008 FINAL
on Sunday, June 29
beginning at 1:15 pm
Goethe Institut Chicago
150 North Michigan Ave, Suite 200, Chicago
www.goethe.de/chicago or phone 312 263 0472
Hosted by the
Austrian Consulate General in Chicago
Please note: all EURO 2008 soccer matches can be viewed live at the Goethe Institut Chicago. For information, see www.goethe.de/chicago or call 312 263 0472.

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Jewish Living in Chicago

Here is a useful resource for jewish people relocating to Chicago: "Jewish Living in Chicago" http://www.juf.org/guide/ It is an on-line guide put together by Jewis United Fund organization. It offers a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of Chicago-area Jewish organizations, resources, products, and services. Examples of the organizations listed include educational organizations, medical institutions, welcome centers, youth organizations, etc.

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Lycee Francais de Chicago

This information will be helpful to international families with kids.

The Lycée Français de Chicago is a private, non- for-profit, coeducational day school serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Their mission is to prepare young people to be responsible global citizens by providing a dual- language education based on the French National Curriculum and complemented by an English Language Arts and American Studies program. The multicultural, dual- language curriculum not only enhances the students’ interpersonal, communications, and academic skills it also helps them distinguish themselves in an increasingly competitive world.

In addition their Summer Camp offers immersion programs in 3 languages: English, French and German. It is an excellent international experience. There are multiple programs for kids ages 3 to 18 of all nationalities and levels of language proficiency. Some of them are designed not only to learn languages but also sports, leadership skills, etc.

For more information, please, visit: http://www.lyceechicago.org/

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SABC business networking event

Swiss-American Business Council in Chicago organizes monthly networking events which are the regular gathering of professionals from the Chicago business community. All are welcome. The details for the up coming one are:

Tuesday, February 12, 2008
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Swissôtel Chicago (Lobby Lounge), 323 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago

FREE Admission, Cash Bar.

No RSVP required.

You can find more information about SABC at http://www.sabcnow.com/

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Polish American Association

In Chicagoland there are a lot of organizations that service specific nationality/country groups. One of the most prominent orgnizations among European ones is the Polish American Association: http://www.polish.org/

This organization provides a comprehensive range of bilingual and bicultural programs and services to the Polish community in the areas of social services, education, employment, immigrant services, outreach and advocacy. It is especially notable that while most of PAA's clients are Polish immigrants, the organization is committed to serving anyone who is in need and it is especially famous for providing FREE employment services.

PAA has a lot of experience since it been in operation since 1922.

Here are examples of educational and employment services provided:
- English-as-a-Second Language and citizenship classes;
- literacy tutoring;
- vocational training for certified nursing assistants and Physical Rehabilitation Aid classes;
- office skills training;
- job development and placement;
- career counseling;
- computer literacy classes;
- computer lab.

PAA serves more than 3000 clients per month

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Young Americas Business Trust

This information will be very useful for young entrepreneurs (under 35): The Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) is a non-profit corporation headquartereded in Washington D.C. working in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS). YABT "acts as a catalyst to spur the development of young entrepreneurs through business training, partnerships, leadership and technology. "

Recently YABT announced the start of its annual Talent and Innovation Competition. It will be officially launched on November 1, 2007. TIC Americas presents awards as an international business plan competition and accelerator for young entrepreneurs.

Open to young entrepreneurs under 35 years old, from the OAS Member State countries (USA included) in the Americas and the international community, TIC Americas has five priority areas including: environment, agribusiness, trade, tourism and technology. The program goes beyond a simple business plan competition and includes the additional focus on extensive training, mentoring, networking, and a prototype to test market feasibility. TIC Americas winners will also be nominated to participate at the Global TIC Award and Forum.

The competition will be held in two stages starting with an on-line semi-final phase. The finals will be on-site in Colombia in May 29, 2008. The deadline for the registration of the teams is on February 1, 2008.

Seven prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Creative Design, Tradition and Culture, E-business, Spirit of Entrepreneurship, New Markets, Social Entrepreneurship, and International Alliance, which is a prize for teams composed by members of regions outside the Americas. Prizes will include monetary rewards, training and networking opportunities, as well as the nomination to participate in Global TiC Award and Forum.

To learn more about this exciting opportunity and the organization itself, please, visit http://www.myybiz.net/yabt/main/news/tic100407

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Union des Francais de L'Etranger

This organization unites all French people living abroad. It has chapter in various countries and cities including Chicago: http://www.ufechicago.org

The Union organizes various events mostly of social nature: galas, dinners, etc. It also has several clubs that fall into three main categories: art, sport and other (under "other" there are various clubs from aviation to architecture to travel) Any member is free to join the clubs.

The Union's website also provides a place for employment related issues: members can post their CVs and employers can post their job offers.

Membership is for a small fee but it is well worth it. it is a unique organization for all French people abroad.

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My other 2 blogs

If you are an international person living in Chicago you might be interested in 2 other blogs I have with "international flavor":

1. International Experiences http://internationalexperiences.blogspot.com/ In this blog I post a lot of useful information (links, stories, advice, etc.) related to:
-international business
-marketing (mostly international aspects of it)
-country profiles
-travel
-culture and society

2. International Art http://capucinesblvd.blogspot.com/ This is my new blog which I run for a client of mine (I have my own international marketing consulting business http://www.emadvice.com/) which addresses various issues related to art field mostly local insights from artists from around the world, their stories, unique works of art - everything you cannot find in regular media.

I hope you will enjoy these blogs too!

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Dialogue on Diversity

Dialogue on Diversity http://www.dialogueondiversity.org/ is a nonprofit educational organization, an official NGO recognized by the United Nations. It is based in Washington D.C. and it organizes nationwide conferences, seminars, internships, and annual leadership award recognition as part of its larger program of entrepreneurship training and international exchange. It's mission is: "The social and political advancement of women and men from diverse cultural, ethnic, and national traditions, fostering increased economic empowerment through promotion and development of entrepreneurial excellence, technology training, networking, and education."

I already posted information about an event put together by Dialogue:
http://legalaliensguide.blogspot.com/2007/06/dialogue-on-diversity-symposium.html But now I wanted to draw your attention to organization itself. The programs it offers are great for both entrepreneurs and those working for someone else. The issues they address directly concern legal aliens here in the U.S. because all of them constitute the diverse strata of American population.

Also it is important to point out that a lot of their events are free of charge (like the aforesaid 1 day Diversity Symposium that took place in Chicago in July). They also provide you with free newsletters. It is worthwhile monitoring their website for up-coming programs and events in your area and may be even become a member.

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Employment in European companies doing business in USA

Recently I came across a retained executive search firm, DSML Executive Search http://dsmlexecutivesearch.com/index.htm, that specifically focuses on recruiting Senior Level Executive talent for the US subsidiaries of European companies. They specialize in General Management, Sales and Marketing Management positions.

If you are a Legal Alien with European background living in USA you may have a unique skill set that European companies are looking for: on the one hand you know European business models, European markets and European languages; on the other hand since you are located in USA you know the local market and is uniquely positioned where a company would want you to be (they won't need to pay a relocation package). Therefore it is worthwhile to check out DSML's website where they describe what they are, what they do and how they do it.

This company is located in Chicago but they cover all North American operations of European companies.

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The Japan American Society of Chicago

JAS Chicago is a great organization that puts together various events which will be of interest for wide audiences, not only Japanese and people interested in Japan culture, business, etc. Here is a sample of events for the upcoming 4-5 weeks:

August 23 - Meshi (Business) Cards Exchange - for those interested in general networking for business development
August 30 - a presentation on building global brands in Japan - this one is for those who are specifically interested in this country
September 9 - the History of Chicago at Navy Pier - a tour into the past, present and future of the city which would be of interest for all aliens here, great opportunity for social interaction too.
September 15 - "Sunglasses at Night" Guided Bike Tour of Chicago - fantastic social event for everyone

JAS Chicago also organizes Japanese language courses.

For more information on all events and activities, please, visit http://www.jaschicago.org/

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Goethe-Institut

Goethe-Institut is "the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach". Their mission is to "promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation."

This is a great place to learn more about Germany from all angles: cultural, political, etc. They have a lot of informational resources including the library if you are interested in German literature. The Institute provides great German classes if you want to learn the language and it also constantly hires German teachers if you are interested in this kind of job.

They also organize a lot of cultural events: music events, films, art events, etc.

So based on the types of activities and events organized, Goethe-Institute can be a great place to go to for social networking for both Germans and non-Germans. I friend of mine who is not German but speaks German as a 2nd language and visits the Institute often says it's the best place for anyone interested in anything "German".

The website of the Institute in Chicago is http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/chi/enindex.htm but the good news is that it operates in other major US cities as well. To find the website of the Institute in your city, please, go to http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/chi/enindex.htm

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International Trade Association of Greater Chicago

ITA/GC is a big organization that can offer a lot to those who are interested in growing business internationally, international cooperation and international interaction. As it mentioned on their website http://www.itagc.org their "focus is on practicality: on building knowledge and enabling relationships that help people do international business. While our scope of interest is complex—all aspects of trading across all geographies and all industries—our work is simple: to help others gain understanding that is personal, current, and useful."

ITA/GC organizes several events per month: some of them are more education-oriented, others are more networking-oriented. But even those that are more educational give you chance for networking during the registration as well as after the event.

You can benefit from what ITA/GC if you are an entrepreneur or business professional interested in gaining international contacts or if you are an international yourself and want to meet your countryman or your American counterparts.

Membership in this organization is for a fee as well as all events. However, you don't need to be a member to attend events, you just pay a little bit more to attend an event and the fees are very reasonable.

ITA/GC also offers a lot of useful resources: newsletter, white papers, trade literature, etc.

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Chicago Sister Cities

As stated on its website: "The Chicago Sister Cities International Program, under the auspices of the Department of Cultural Affairs, provides leadership to develop, manage and coordinate comprehensive exchanges with Chicago’s 27 international Sister Cities [worldwide]. It aims to increase international trade, economic development, promote exchanges of culture, education, medicine, environment, technology & social service opportunities with its sister cities for the benefit of the City of Chicago, its residents and businesses."

Various events are organized under the umbrella of this this program (lectures, art exhibitions, community events (with ethnic food, music and dances), etc., usually several events per month. These events can serve several networking purposes:

1. social interaction for those who want to learn more about OTHER countries and cultures and for those who want to meet their fellow countryman (ex. a lot of Indians will be expected at a Delhi-related gathering)

2. business development if your business is related to international trade (since the mission of the program is "to increase international trade .... and service opportunities that benefit Chicago businesses" - see above) - you will be able to meet people from a whole range of business that you can network with.

The Web site of this program is http://www.chicagosistercities.com/ It not only lists the scheduled events but provides a lot of useful resources on various global topics from language to travel to business.

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