Held each summer, the WITA/WITF Annual Dinner is WITA’s signature event. The Dinner attracts hundreds of top decision makers, policy shapers, and trade experts from D.C. and around the world. It’s no wonder it’s come to be known as ‘Trade Prom’!

This event is considered “widely attended” under both House & Senate Gift Rules.

To learn more about past honorees at the WITA/WITF Annual Dinner, please click here. 

Event Details:

Registration & Cocktails 5:30 – 7:00 PM

Dinner & Awards 7:00 – 9:00 PM

Post Dinner Reception 9:00 – 11:00 PM

For more information on sponsorships, please click here. 

Questions? Contact WITA at (202) 312-1600 or events@wita.org

WITA has a one week cancellation policy for this event.

2025 Sponsors

The post 2025 WITA/WITF Annual Dinner appeared first on WITA.

Join WITA and the Asia Society Policy Institute for a discussion on these and related questions.

Featured Speakers:

Christopher Adams, Senior Advisor, Covington & Burling LLP

Craig Allen, Senior Counselor, The Cohen Group; former President, US-China Business Council

Jeff Gerrish, Partner, Schagrin Associates; former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative for Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Industrial Competitiveness, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

Lingling Wei, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Moderator: Wendy Cutler, Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI)

Hosted in partnership with the Asia Society Policy Institute.

The post Phase 2: The Art of the Deal with China appeared first on WITA.

Prices and Registration:

WITA Member: $100

Non-WITA Member: $200

Free for Embassy, Ministry, and Government Officials from All Countries

(Must register with official government email)

Free for Full Time Students (Must register with university email)

For group rates (3 or more ticket purchases), email Diego Añez (danez@wita.org) to receive a special rate.

Program Agenda

9:00 – 9:45 AM ET – Session 1: Unpacking the April 2 Announcements

Ryan Majerus, Partner, King & Spalding; former Acting Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce – International Trade Administration

Warren Payne, Senior Advisor, Mayer Brown; former Economic Advisor, U.S. International Trade Commission

Moderator: Nicole Bivens Collinson, Managing Principal, Operating Committee, International Trade & Government Relations Practice Leader, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.

9:45 – 10:30 AM ET – Session 2: Legal Framework: How Reciprocal Tariffs Fit into U.S. Trade Law

Kathleen Claussen, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center; former Associate General Counsel, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

Tim Meyer, Richard Allen/Cravath Distinguished Professor in International Business Law; Co-Director, Center for International and Comparative Law, Duke University School of Law

Moderator: Michael Smart, Managing Director, Rock Creek Global Advisors; former Director for International Trade and Investment, National Security Council, The White House

10:30 – 11:15 AM ET – Session 3: The Case for Reciprocity: Economic and Policy Considerations

Chad Bown, Reginald Jones Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics; former Chief Economist, U.S. Department of State

Kelly Ann Shaw, Partner, Hogan Lovells; former Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs and Deputy Director, National Economic Council

Moderator: Peter Harrell, Non-Resident Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; former Senior Director for International Economics and Competitiveness, National Security Council at the White House

 11:15 – 12:15 PM ET – Session 4: Global Trade Reactions: Retaliation, Negotiations, and Trade War Risks

Jennifer Hillman, Co-Director, Institute of International Economic Law, Georgetown University Law Center; former Member, WTO Appellate Body; former Chair, U.S. International Trade Commission

Cecilia Malmström, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics; former European Commissioner for Trade

Francisco Sanchez, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP; former Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Department of Commerce

Moderator: Edward Alden, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Ross Distinguished Visiting Professor, Western Washington University

Additional Panelists May be Added!

Thank you to our WITA Academy Sponsors

Thank you to our WITA International Sponsor

The post WITA Academy Mini Intensive Trade Seminar: Reciprocal Trade & Tariffs appeared first on WITA.

Confirmed Speakers:

Ed Allison-Wright, World Trade Center Gibraltar

Iana Dreyer, Founder and Editor of Borderlex

Angela Ellard, Deputy Director General, World Trade Organization

Lionel C. Johnson, President of the Pacific Pension & Investment Institute

Penny Naas, Lead GMF Allied Strategic Competitiveness, German Marshall Fund of the United States

Moderator: Kenneth Levinson, Chief Executive Officer, Washington International Trade Association (WITA)

The post The Global Outlook: Navigating Trade and Investment Trends in 2025 – WITA International Panel at the WTCA Global Business Forum appeared first on WITA.

Panelists discussed the current trade landscape and future outlook of U.S. agricultural trade, including its place in relation to the overall U.S. economy, global markets, tariffs and trade barriers, and challenges faced by importers and exporters. 

Featured Speakers:

Jordan Dux, Senior Director of National Affairs, Nebraska Farm Bureau

Joseph Glauber, Research Fellow Emeritus, International Food Policy Research Institute

Virginia Houston, Director of Government Affairs, American Soybean Association

Tom Madrecki, Vice President, Supply Chain Resiliency, Consumer Brands Association

Moderator: Darci Vetter, Principal, Sower Strategies, LLC; former Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

This event was held in partnership with

The post Setting the Table on National Agriculture Trade Day appeared first on WITA.

Recent and potential actions taken by the United States, Canada and Mexico could upend North American supply chains, and have impacts on the North American economy that go beyond just the cost of the tariffs that may be imposed by the three countries.

WITA discussed the real world impacts of these actions on trade and commerce in North America.

Featured Speakers:

Shannon Fura, Page Fura, P.C., and Immediate Past Chair of the National Association of Foreign Trade Zones.

Turenna Ramírez, Partner Holland & Knight Mexico SC

Valerie Romero, Executive Vice President, Oremor Automotive Group (Ontario, CA); Chair, American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA)

Mark Shiring, CEO, Air Technology / Americas, ebm-papst Group

Laurie Tannous, Vice President Government Relations, Farrow; Chair, Canada US Business Association (CUSBA)

Moderator: Andrew Rudman, Senior Associate (non-resident), CSIS Latin America Program

Thank you to our USMCA Review Series Sponsors

The post Snapshot of the Border: The Cost of Tariffs and Non-Tariff Trade Frictions appeared first on WITA.

Please join WITA as we examined efforts to create a predictable and stable international framework to ensure the secure and responsible movement of information across borders.

Featured Speakers:

Stephen Claeys, Senior Director, Global Trade Policy, Pfizer

Josh Kallmer, Head of Global Public Policy and Government Relations, Zoom Communications, Inc.

Marta Prado, Director, Global Government Engagement, Visa

Andrew Wayne, Managing Director, Digital, Tax & Trade Policy, Siemens U.S. Government Affairs

Moderator: Nigel Cory, Director, Crowell Global Advisors

This event was part of our Digital Trade Series sponsored by the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC).

The post Driving Health, Innovation, and Economic Opportunity Through Data and [International] Trade appeared first on WITA.

These events are free for embassy staff to attend, and lunch will be provided by our host, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

The last lunch in this series was on Thursday, March 13 from 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.

RSVP Required

Because we hope to keep these lunches intimate and engaging, they will necessarily be small, and we can only accept one RSVP per Embassy. Once we have filled all seats at the lunch, we will maintain a wait list to fill seats if/as they open.

In Partnership with

The post Embassy and Ministry Network (EMN) March Briefing appeared first on WITA.

No recording of this event will be available.

Join WITA today to get Member pricing for the Congressional Trade Agenda and all other WITA events!

Congressional Trade Leaders share their perspectives at WITA’s annual overview of the Hill’s Trade Agenda.

As in prior years, this will be an OFF-THE-RECORD discussion of the critical trade issues that Congress may address in the coming year.

Featured Speakers:

Virginia Lenahan, Chief Counsel, International Trade, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Democratic Staff

Mayur Patel, Chief Counsel, International Trade, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Republican Staff

Josh Snead, Republican Chief Trade Counsel, Trade Subcommittee, House Ways and Means Committee

Alexandra Whittaker, Democratic Chief Trade Counsel, Staff Director, Trade Subcommittee, House Ways and Means Committee

 Ticket Prices

The post 2025 Congressional Trade Agenda appeared first on WITA.

WITA held a pop-up briefing to discuss the reciprocal tariffs proposal and the global implications.

Featured Speakers:  

Mark DiPlacido, Policy Advisor, American Compass

Professor Simon J. Evenett, Professor of Geopolitics & Strategy, IMD Business School

Professor Jennifer Hillman, Co-Director, Institute of International Economic Law, Georgetown University Law Center

Ambassador John K. Veroneau, Senior Counsel, Covington 

Moderator: David J. Ross, Partner, Chair of International Trade, Investment and Market Access Practice, WilmerHale

The post Unpacking What’s Fair and Reciprocal appeared first on WITA.