MSD China 2009 Match-Making Event – A chance for interaction between Hospitality Industry Buyers and Minority Suppliers

MSD China’s 2009 Match-Making Event for Hospitality Industry Buyers and Minority Suppliers was held at the Courtyard, Marriott Beijing on the afternoon on May 25, 2009. Mr. Charles Lu, Marriot Asia-Pacific Region Area Procurement Director, Ms. Susan Shao, China Area Procurement Deputy Director of Marriott International, Inc., and 22 delegates from minority business enterprises attended the event.

The event opened with an address by Ms. Yang Liu, Director of MSD China. Charles Lu followed the address by giving a presentation about Marriott International, Inc. and its supplier diversity program:“ Marriott takes pride in its diversity and inclusion”. He elaborated on Marriot’s efforts to extend its supplier diversity program into China and the opportunities this program can bring for minority suppliers. Those minority business representatives in attendance listened with great interest to the details of Marriot’s supplier diversity program, its procurement policies, supplier qualifications and its selection criteria. In turn they then introduced their own enterprises, as well as their products and services, which provided Charles and Susan with the useful information  that a number of minority businesses could provide green products. Representatives from MODEMORE, a well known Chinese carpet producer, and other minority business expressed their hope and confidence of meeting the relevant criteria and qualifications to qualify as a supplier. "Thanks to the platform that MSD China is building, we have the opportunity do business with big corporations.”