Number of Delegations Hosted by GlobalPittsburgh Spikes After G-20, Including Visitors from 15 Countries to Study Energy, Environment & Other Sectors

Following on the heels of the Pittsburgh G-20 Summit, GlobalPittsburgh announced that it has witnessed a sharp increase in the number of foreign delegations interested in visiting the region, including visitors from 15 countries during the month of October alone.

GlobalPittsburgh, formerly the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors, already has received inquiries about the region from numerous foreign countries and organizations, and will host at least four international delegations this month, all of which have been organized since the announcement that Pittsburgh would host the G-20, according to GlobalPittsburgh President Roger Cranville.

"The positive attention paid to the Pittsburgh Region before and during the G-20 was absolutely priceless, and we at GlobalPittsburgh are gearing up for even more groups coming here to see for themselves what has been going on here," Cranville said. "Our goal is to bring as many people as possible here to learn about opportunities to do business, to attend university, to enjoy our many cultural amenities, to recreate in our parks and rivers, and to make their homes here."

During the G-20, GlobalPittsburgh partnered with the Welcome Center for Immigrants and Internationals, the Pittsburgh G-20 partnership, and Visit Pittsburgh to coordinate volunteers fluent in the languages used at the Summit to staff Welcome Centers in the Regional Enterprise Tower and in the primary hotels where the Heads of State and their delegations and media were staying.

"The volunteers in the various hotels truly made delegation members and the media feel welcome in our community," said Gail Shrott, GlobalPittsburgh's Vice President of Program Services, who helped coordinate more than 250 volunteers during the Summit.

This weekend, a group of nine European green technology policy makers, local authorities and prominent non-governmental activists from several European Union countries and Brussels-based institutions will arrive in Pittsburgh. They are participating in a U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (ILVP) project to explore the development of green technology in the United States. The visitors are all young professionals from Austria, Denmark, the European Union, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, and Sweden.

The following week, a group of six representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Kosovo will come to Pittsburgh as part of an ILVP project to discuss local government’s role in the process of hosting world leaders to Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Summit 2009, among other topics.

During the same period, a group of six high-level journalists will arrive as part of a Green Technology Reporting tour sponsored by the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels. The journalists are from France, Germany, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.

Later in the month, a total of six local government representatives from Japan participating in a study tour sponsored by the Japanese Intercultural Academy of Municipalities will visit the city.

Each of these groups will receive detailed itineraries to visit with companies, organizations and individuals with expertise in their fields of interest. The visitors also will tour the city and meet with individuals for meals and gatherings in private homes.

GlobalPittsburgh welcomes volunteers and hosts to act as tour guides, dinner hosts, home stay hosts and drivers for visiting delegations and individuals. For more information about GlobalPittsburgh programs, visit www.GlobalPittsburgh.org, call 412-392-4513 or send email to info@pciv.org.