WTCA is Building Bridges and Strengthening its Presence in Germany and Europe 

“World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) works diligently to promote the World Trade Center (WTC) concept in cities throughout Europe, and the world, and enhances opportunities for international trade. It was therefore an honor to host the inaugural WTCA Open Investor Day titled „Unlock the WTC Potential“ in Dresden, in partnership with WTC Dresden, earlier this month on June 10, demonstrating the importance of the German economy and market for our brand and global network“ underscored Mr. John E. Drew, WTCA Chair, Board of Directors. 
Currently with more than 300 WTC locations in nearly 100 countries/territories, WTCA plays a vital role as a gateway to global trade. WTCA is committed to growing its presence in the European region encompassing 80 WTC locations through initiatives like the "Road to 500," its mission to expand its current global Membership base to 500 quality WTCA Members over the next decade. During the WTCA Open Investor Day event, WTCA Executive Director-Business Development, Robin van Puyenbroeck, highlighted „Germany is a key market in WTCA's focus to expand its network throughout the European region and beyond.“  

"As the strongest economy in Europe, Germany plays a central role in the continent's growth and integration. By fostering regional partnerships and expanding its network, WTCA aims to drive economic growth and international trade. At WTCA, we value the impact of people-to-people diplomacy as a key component for creating peaceful and prosperous societies,“ concluded Mr. van Puyenbroeck.  
The event brought nearly 100 guests to the Dresden Albrechtsberg castle – decision makers from across Germany, including public officials, private investors, and real estate developers, eager to hear firsthand about WTCA Members’ success stories and how leveraging the WTC brand and network contributed to their business and elevated their presence around the globe. The success stories of various German WTC businesses – WTC Dresden, WTC Bremen, WTC Frankfurt (Oder)-Slubice and WTC Metz-Saarbrücken – emphasized the positive impact these WTC locations operating across diverse industries play in the local and international business communities.  
Speakers from both the private sector and Saxon government highlighted potential benefits of WTCA membership to German trade and investment. For example, WTC Twente, a WTCA member located in a dynamic economic region in the Netherlands, presented itself as a hub for international business relations and innovation offering various programs and initiatives to support companies and foreign professionals in their endeavors, whereas WTC Lisboa, a WTCA member located in Portugal, promoted WTCA as a renowned organization for real estate investment and business clubs. UNU-FLORES, the United Nations University’s institute based within WTC Dresden, emphasized the importance of sustainability in real estate and its active collaboration with the global WTCA network. WTC Metz-Saarbrücken, a bridge between Germany and France, also shared that it has been facilitating economic cooperation between the two countries for 35 years.  
"I was happy to be the keynote speaker at the WTCA Open Investor Day co-hosted by our WTC Dresden – addressing the international investment community about the impact of global developments on the real estate and retail sector in Germany as well the importance of adapting to changing market conditions and developing innovative usage concepts for office and commercial properties,“ said Stefan Scholl, Real Estate Economist and Head of Acquisitions and Sales Europe at Deka Immobilien GmbH. 
WTC businesses who participated in the WTCA Open Investor Day — including newly-established WTCA Members such as WTC AMTZ in India and WTC Saltillo in Mexico — have been reliable anchor points for local businesses, in particular small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), offering access to a global network of partners and opportunities. They are going to represent a point of orientation for future WTCA strategic partners across Germany and Europe in an ever-growing trade services and real estate offering. 
"The WTCA Open Investor Day in Dresden was an outstanding event for networking and exchanging experiences with international experts from a wide range of areas of commercial real estate management. The event was concise and rich in content, without neglecting the networking idea. The core ideas of the WTCA network were presented in a convincing and easily understandable way,“ said Toni Lautenschläger, Head of Department for Economic and Research Affairs, City of Regensburg. 
As a follow-up of activities towards the expansion of the WTCA network in Germany, the city of Regensburg, as well as the city of Munich, will host a meeting with Danica Milovanovic, WTCA Business Development Lead for Europe, early July as part of the WTCA road show throughout Germany. At these working meetings, the forms of partnership with both city administrations will be concretized in order to identify remarkable development projects, which in the foreseeable future will evolve into new WTC businesses - economic hubs on the European continent. 

Following the successful launch of the initiative, on June 12, the 22nd annual WTCA Day was celebrated worldwide, highlighting the WTCA’s business activities, and how the network fosters growth and global connections. In 2002, former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg declared June 12 as "WTCA Day," which was later acknowledged by the office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in order to recognize the work of WTCA and its network of WTC businesses to encourage and facilitate trade, promote economic development, and foster peace.