CBP to hold Trade Symposium in Tacoma

The highly popular trade community event will head to West Coast again this year, in addition to the regular Washington, D.C. conference.    Registration is now open through May 1 for U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Trade Symposium, which is being held May 27 in Tacoma, Wash.
   This will be the second time the popular conference is held on the West Coast. Three years ago, the CBP hosted the event in Long Beach, Calif.
   As previously reported, the agency also plans to hold its regular Trade Symposium in Washington, D.C. this fall.
   The conference is an opportunity for CBP officials to update a large audience of trade professionals about customs simplification, enforcement and supply chain security. Private sector representatives also have opportunities to share feedback with officials in formal and informal settings.
   Topics on the agenda for Tacoma include CBP’s trade transformation initiative, the International Trade Data System, exports, collaboration with other government agencies, and trade enforcement.
   Tacoma is home to a large international port and is also located near Seattle, where CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske served as chief of police for nine years.
   The Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders and the Customs Brokers and International Freight Forwarders Association of Washington State the next day will host a forum with CBP on the Automated Commercial Environment deployment and how other government agencies are participating in the “single window” for exchanging required trade data and transmitting clearance decisions.
   Officials said more information will be posted on the organizations’ respective websites this week.