Utah's International Business Development Office is celebrating Utah's ties in international trade this week with a series of activities.

International Week events began Monday with a "Sister Cities" luncheon at the Grand America Hotel.

A U.S. export regulations expo and automated export system workshop takes place from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Hilton at 255 S. West Temple. A noon Utah District Export Council luncheon is in the middle of the day's activities.

At 7 p.m., the Salt Lake Committee on Foreign Relations will have a dinner and presentation titled "Brazil: A Blip on America's Radar" by Luis Bitencourt, director of Brazil projects at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and visiting professor at Georgetown University. The dinner will be at the Little America Hotel.

Wednesday features an AESPcLink certification workshop at Salt Lake Community College's Redwood campus, allowing participants to learn about reporting export information using the Internet.

The state will honor Utah's Consular Corps during a 12:30 p.m. luncheon at the Governor's Mansion.

A 5:30 p.m. reception for Utah alumni of Thunderbird, an international management graduate school, takes place at the Grand America Hotel. Details are available by calling Janet Haskell, alumni chapter leader, at 1-801-583-5660.

Wednesday concludes with 7 p.m. lectures titled "Globalization and Foreign Policy" by Howard Lehman, a University of Utah professor, and "Promoting America's Global Interest Through Public Diplomacy" by Joseph Kruzich, an officer with the U.S. State Department. Kruzich also is deputy policy officer in the South Asia Bureau for Press and Public Diplomacy, mainly focusing on Afghanistan-related issues.

The lectures at the Grand America are presented by the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy, in cooperation with the Utah Humanities Council. They are free and open to the public. More information is available by calling 1-801-532-4747.

Thursday's activities include regional international business seminars at the Grand America, in which Utah's regional trade executives and foreign trade representatives will present the latest business and economic information from their regions of the world, focusing on opportunities for Utah businesses.

An international development luncheon, sponsored by the state International Office, takes place at 12:30 p.m. Gov. Olene Walker will speak about the state's international initiatives, and John W. Seybolt, senior vice president of Thunderbird, will speak on "Managing in Tumultuous Times."

That afternoon will be an international business forum, allowing representatives of Utah businesses to meet individually with Utah's team of international trade representatives to talk about business opportunities for their companies throughout the world. Also, Utah's exchange executives from the Gifu Prefecture, Japan and Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, will be available for consultation.

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Both the morning seminars and the afternoon forum are free and open to the public. Details are available by calling Asia director Matthew McConkie at 1-801-538-8786; Europe director Franz Kolb at 1-801-538-8738; or Americas director Henrique DeAgostini at 1-801-538-8665.

Friday's activities include meetings with representatives of the Salt Lake Community College International Studies Program at the Little America Hotel. A panel discussion at 9:30 a.m., free and open to the public, will explore issues regarding globalization.

Friday also includes a World Trade Association of Utah luncheon featuring Patrick Byrne, chief executive officer of Salt Lake-based Overstock.com, at the Little America. The cost is $30 for nonmembers. The registration deadline is today. More information is available by calling 422-6495.

Two weekend festivals follow the International Week activities. Living Traditions, celebrating Salt Lake's folk and ethnic arts, will be Friday through Sunday at the City-County Building. The event is produced by the Salt Lake City Arts Council. Details are available at 1-801-596-5000 or www.slcgov.com/arts. Fiesta Olmeca is set for 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South, West Valley City. Information is available at 1-801-965-5100 or www.culturalcelebrationcenter.org.

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