Brandeis University and the Brandeis International Business School hosted its second annual Global Trade Summit on Tuesday, April 3 in the Levin Ballroom. The summit focused primarily on the various industries of Brazil, India, Israel and Turkey and welcomed several representatives from companies both international and domestic. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, the Summit's keynote luncheon speaker, addressed the future of Massachusetts' industry and some specific trade goals.

The opening session of the Summit consisted of welcoming remarks from IBS Dean Bruce Magid; an opening speech from Senior Vice President and General Manager for Global New Business Development of EMC Corporation Joel Schwartz; and a panel framed to discuss opportunities for Massachusetts businesses with emerging markets moderated by Pamela Goldberg, CEO of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.

The panelists included Schwartz; Aron Ain, CEO of Kronos; and Samir Bhattacharyya, worldwide director of market access of DePuy Mitek.

During the luncheon keynote, Patrick spoke on the expansion of enterprise and the future of Massachusetts industry.

"It is so important for us to seize, improve and expand. The global economy waits for no one. It's happening-ready or not. And it seems to me that we have every reason to be ready to participate-and to participate successfully," Patrick said.

"As governor, I have made it my mission to make Massachusetts a global player in today's innovation economy, an economy that is all about the explosion of knowledge," continued Patrick. "And when you think about the concentration of brainpower we have here in the Commonwealth, we have a natural advantage, and a natural opportunity which we ought to take advantage of."

Immediately following Patrick's address, the audience was invited to ask the governor questions, which, for the most part, pertained to the specific industries of their countries.

Following the luncheon keynote, the Summit participants were guided to a series of breakout sessions, the first of which included three discussion groups titled, "Doing Business with Brazil," "Doing Business with Israel" and "Entrepreneurs and Global Business."

After a brief 15-minute break, the second of the two breakout sessions began, lasting from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Discussions included, "Doing Business with India," "Doing Business with Turkey" and "Using Alternative Channels and Resources to Access Emerging Markets."

The summit concluded with a networking session.

"The Global Trade Summit is intended to serve as an informative, practical resource for companies looking to enter emerging markets or improve their position in more mature ones," Magid wrote in an email to the Justice.

According to the program agenda, the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment, AIM International Business Council, the Massachusetts Export Center, Mintz Levin, EMC, Global Atlantic Partners LLC, the Kauffman Foundation, Sovereign Santander, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and the U.S. Commercial Service sponsored the Summit.