Massachusetts SBDC Statewide Training & Event Calendar
Preregistration is required for all events. If no link is listed on the registration page, online registration is not available or registration is closed. Please read important registration information by clicking here.
 The Massachusetts Export Center organizes seminars, webinars and events throughout the year under Partners for Trade—the official export training initiative of the Commonwealth. On the calendar below, 
indicates an exporting training event. |
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~~~ 2025 Training Calendar |
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Unless otherwise
noted, training is offered online.
= export training |
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| MARCH | |
| 18 | How to Write a Business Plan Using AI and LivePlan (Salem) |
| 21 |
Tariffs: What Has Happened, What Could
Come and How to Prepare |
| 25 | Understanding Small Business Taxes |
| 26 |
New EAR Changes in Emerging
Technologies: Advanced Computing, AI and Biotechnology |
| APRIL | |
| 10 |
Compliance Clinic |
| 16 |
Upping Your Screening Due Diligence to
Match the Current Regulatory Environment |
| 30 |
Breaking Through the Knowledge Silos at
Your Firm to Ensure Trade Compliance |
| JUNE | |
| 6 |
Triangulating the Trump Trade
Agenda: Tips and Tools for Addressing Policy Changes |
Program Descriptions
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Various topics that we will cover:
Whether you are tech-savvy or just getting started, "Tech Talks with Rob" will provide you with the knowledge and tools to leverage technology for your business’s success. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn, grow, and secure your business in the digital marketplace. During each session, Rob will present a brief 15–20-minute introduction to the topic at hand, followed by an interactive discussion and Q&A period. This series aims to create a welcoming environment where participants are encouraged to ask questions. Remember, there are no bad questions. Date: Held on the first Wednesday of the month
- click on date below to register
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How to Write a Business Plan Using AI and LivePlan Join us for an engaging and interactive workshop designed to help you craft a winning business plan. Whether launching a new venture or refining your existing strategy, this workshop will empower you with the tools and insights to bring your vision to life. This workshop will be led by Nancy Gerardi, Esq., regional director of the Massachusetts SBDC - Northeast Region. You will benefit from Nancy's extensive experience and expertise in small business development and strategic planning. Her proven guidance has helped countless entrepreneurs achieve their goals, and now it’s your turn to leverage her knowledge to create a comprehensive and effective business plan. In this workshop, you will learn how to:
This event is proudly sponsored by TD Bank, covering the cost for the first 25 attendees—a value-packed opportunity at no cost to you! Register now as space is limited to 25 participants. Don’t wait—secure your spot today and take the first step toward business success! Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
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Tariffs: What Has Happened, What Could Come and How to Prepare During the first months of the Trump administration, the trade community has faced uncertainty as a result of trade-related executive orders and potential threats of retaliatory and reciprocal tariffs. Just weeks into his second term, Donald Trump was the first president to use International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to issue executive orders immediately imposing tariffs following the declaration of a national emergency related to national security, foreign policy, or the economy. China, Mexico and Canada were initial targets for retaliatory tariffs, with more to come. President Trump also recently announced a plan to impose so-called “fair and reciprocal” trade tariffs on major US trading partners and has suggested that his administration will impose additional import tariffs on specific types of goods, such as semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. This timely program will cover recent executive orders and other proposed actions and outline steps that exporters and importers could take to mitigate risk and potential ramifications for their global operations. Companies need to be prepared for retaliatory tariffs by the US trading partners, higher costs due to additional tariffs and increased scrutiny by US Customs & Border Protection. The speakers will discuss measures that exporters and importers could take to proactively mitigate such actions. Please, join us and bring your questions! Our speakers will be:
Date: Friday, March 21, 2025
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Understanding Small Business Taxes Are you a small business owner seeking to simplify the process of income tax filing? Join us for an engaging and informative workshop designed to empower entrepreneurs like you with essential tax knowledge. This workshop is tailored to help small business owners confidently approach tax season while maximizing their understanding of critical forms and requirements. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your financial management skills in 2025! In this session, you will:
The speaker will be Nancy Gerardi, regional director of the Massachusetts SBDC - Northeast Region. Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2025
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New EAR Changes in Emerging Technologies: Advanced Computing, AI and Biotechnology Are your export compliance processes up-to-date? Over the last six months, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced multiple changes to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) around emerging technologies. Specifically, there were vast and complex changes in the areas of advanced computing, semiconductors, AI, and biotechnology. The changes include the modification or creation of new defined terms, new export control classification numbers (ECCNs), new license exceptions, modified reasons for control, and new foreign direct product rules. Join us as we walk through these EAR updates to gain an understanding of how they will impact exporting businesses, and learn best practices for implementing procedures to maintain compliance under these new regulations. Our speaker will be Jennifer Saak, Managing Director with Traliance. Date: Wednesday, March 26, 2025
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Compliance Clinic (Compliance Alliance members only) Calling all Compliance Alliance members! Join us for a discussion between exporters that will allow participants to compare notes on export compliance practices that have been effective in addressing some of the challenges in today’s ever-changing regulatory environment. All topics are on the table. No agenda or PowerPoint slides – just a give-and-take discussion between trade compliance professionals. This will be conducted in a Zoom meeting format. So, bring your compliance questions and concerns and be prepared to participate in what we hope to be a lively discussion. Joining us will be fellow Compliance Alliance member, Alexandra López-Casero, partner with the law firm of Nixon Peabody, who will be on hand to provide context to regulatory concerns as needed. Date: Thursday, April 10, 2025
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Upping Your Screening Due Diligence to Match the Current Regulatory Environment Restricted and denied party screening is much more than just screening for names of individuals and companies that appear on restricted lists. Recent regulations have raised expectations of the screening practices and techniques that companies should use to prevent unauthorized shipment or diversion of their products. Address screening has become especially important since the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) introduced a significant update to the Entity List by including address-only entries. BIS recommends that exporters and re-exporters screen both the name and address of a party to an export transaction to comply with license requirements that may apply to certain addresses and to monitor certain “red flags” that require additional due diligence such as near-matches to addresses on the Entity List and co-location with a listed entity. BIS also expects enhanced due diligence from exporters dealing with Common High Priority List items, which Russia seeks to procure for its weapons programs. For transactions involving CHPL items, BIS recommends screening against the list provided by the Trade Integrity Project (TIP), a non-government U.K. entity that monitors military and dual-use trade with Russia and has identified parties in third countries with a recent history of exporting CHPL items to Russia. There are also screening risks that can’t be addressed by list-based screening such as screening for military end-users and end-uses, as well as for military intelligence end-use, when shipping certain products to some countries, including China, Venezuela, Burma, Cambodia and Belarus. As a result of increased screening expectations, exporters face higher risk of triggering violations due to the complexity of validating high-risk addresses, the increased screening burden, and the enhanced scrutiny and documentation necessary to remain compliant. This webinar will discuss how companies can up their game by enhancing their screening due diligence in response to the current regulatory requirements. Our speaker will be Tahlia Townsend, Partner, International Trade Compliance and Litigation with Wiggin and Dana LLP. Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
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Breaking Through the Knowledge Silos at Your Firm to Ensure Trade Compliance Is your company entangled in knowledge silos? Often, silos are put in place to provide safety from the sensitive information they contain from being accessed, whether nefariously or by chance. However, when it comes to trade compliance practices, knowledge silos may be inadvertently created within departments due to lack of information sharing, legacy information systems, and clusters of procedures that are not broadly applied, all of which are detrimental to companies, putting them at risk for violations. Employees may go about doing their jobs and have access to a lot of information that may constitute "knowledge" whether they know it or not. Some of the information they are presented with may be meaningless within their daily responsibilities, however, certain details may point to potential export or sanctions risks. Knowledge—as defined by BIS—includes knowing that a violation may occur, or awareness of a high probability of violation may occur in the present or future. Many employees often do not recognize the importance of the evidence that they have been provided with, or that it creates knowledge. More importantly, because of this lack of awareness the information is not relayed to their designated compliance professional to conduct due diligence and assess any regulatory concerns. Breakthrough the knowledge silos! Join us as our speakers discuss best practices for creating awareness across all departments regarding the acquisition of knowledge important for trade compliance, and developing communication practices that will reduce the risk of violation. Our speakers include:
Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
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Triangulating the Trump Trade Agenda: Tips and Tools for Addressing Policy Changes With a daily flurry of international trade-related executive orders, policy memoranda, and social media posts, businesses are struggling to make sense of U.S. international trade rules and policy priorities. This whirlwind of information has caused uncertainty for businesses attempting to understand how and when they will be affected by trade policy changes, making it difficult to identify priorities and prepare. Join us to gain practical advice on assessing and addressing future actions in real time. This program will review the latest trade-related actions from the Trump Administration, including executive orders, policy and off-the-cuff statements that trade compliance professionals should be aware of when working to address policy changes and maintain compliance. Our speaker will be Luciano Racco, Counsel and Co-Chair, International Trade & National Security Practice with Foley Hoag LLP. Date: Friday, June 6, 2025
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Training registrations are booked on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve your space for fee-based events, mail your payment to the appropriate office with a copy of the completed registration form. Credit cards are accepted ONLY for the Massachusetts Export Center's events. Your spot is reserved once payment is received by the appropriate office. Training programs may be added or cancelled; the training schedule is subject to change. Please note: Training confirmations are sent from centeric@clients.msbdc.org. We use this email frequently, so please add it to your approved sender list. A verification code will be sent from this email address allowing your to register for training. If you have problems signing in, do not create a new account with a different email in order to register. For help registering, send an email to the contact in the seminar description. Please review our cancellation and refund policies. |
Join
us for "Tech Talks with Rob" an enlightening webinar series designed
specifically for small business owners looking to navigate the
complex world of technology. Each session, hosted by tech expert Rob
DelMastro, will delve into critical topics that are essential for
running a modern business in the digital age.