World Trade Center Los Angeles

What World Trade Center Los Angeles does

World Trade Center Los Angeles (WTCLA), founded in 1988 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, is a non-profit international trade and investment promotion program operated by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC). WTCLA serves as Southern California's official World Trade Center affiliate, focused on attracting foreign direct investment into Los Angeles County and connecting global investors with regional business and government leaders. Its flagship convening asset is the Select LA Investment Summit, which is the first official affiliated event of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Select USA Summit.

WTCLA operates inside LAEDC's broader economic development platform, which coordinates across 88 cities and approximately 1.3 million businesses, with strategic partnerships spanning international organizations (Asia Society of Southern California, Japan Business Association, British American Business Council), regional planning bodies (SCAG), county government (LA County Department of Economic Opportunity), and industry clusters (Biocom California, California Fashion Association). The organization's service portfolio combines international business roundtables for executive members, foreign direct investment advisory, and a structured program of high-profile events including the annual EDDY Awards, Economic Forecast, Future Forum, and 88 Cities Summit.

The business model is sponsorship- and membership-driven rather than transactional. Revenue is generated through tiered event sponsorships ranging from $2,000 journal ads up to a $75,000 Icon Sponsor package, alongside annual memberships priced from $2,500 (Affiliate) to $25,000 (Champion) that confer governance participation, LAEDC Bucks event credits, and access to the Institute for Applied Economics. The Big 4 Season Pass bundles the four signature programmatic events into a single executive package. The organization employs approximately six people, with revenue figures not publicly disclosed.

Name

World Trade Center Los Angeles

Legal name

Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation

Website

https://wtcla.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

World Trade Center Los Angeles is a non-profit program of LAEDC that promotes foreign direct investment in Los Angeles County by convening international investors with regional business and government leaders through summits, roundtables, and structured membership tiers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foreign Direct Investment Promotion

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

General & Multi-Industry Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Trade Facilitation & Customs Modernization (BPADAMAB)

Keywords

• Foreign direct investment
• International business networking
• Investment promotion events
• Trade facilitation services
• Economic development programs

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

World Trade Center Los Angeles operates as a foreign direct investment attraction and international business facilitation program within LAEDC. It connects global investors with regional business and government leaders through the Select LA Investment Summit, WTCLA international business roundtables, and a tiered membership and sponsorship architecture, while supporting companies and cities navigating international trade and inbound investment into Los Angeles County.

Product overview

World Trade Center Los Angeles, operated by LAEDC, offers a comprehensive portfolio of event sponsorships and organizational memberships focused on economic development across Los Angeles County. The primary offering is the 31st EDDY Awards sponsorship program with seven tiers (Icon through Community Impact, ranging from $5,000 to $75,000), plus venue, award, art, music, alcohol, and table sponsorships. Membership tiers include Champion ($25,000), Industry ($15,000), Executive ($10,000), Investor ($5,000), and Affiliate ($2,500) memberships, each providing governance participation, event access credits (LAEDC Bucks), and regional visibility. Event packages include the Big 4 Season Pass covering 88 Cities Summit, Economic Forecast, Future Forum, and Select LA Investment Summit. The organization also facilitates international trade connections and foreign direct investment support through its World Trade Center designation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Select LA Investment Summit Sponsorship

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and regional.

• Asia Society of Southern CaliforniastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner organization supporting LAEDC's regional economic development initiatives and international engagement.
• Japan Business AssociationstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner supporting international business connections between Japan and Southern California.
• British American Business CouncilstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner facilitating transatlantic business relationships between the UK and Southern California.
• Japan America Society of Southern CaliforniastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for Japan-America business relations in the Southern California region.
• U.S. Department of Commerce / Select USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelect LA Investment Summit is the first official affiliated event of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Select USA Summit, providing official affiliation for international investment promotion activities.
• California Fashion AssociationstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner representing fashion industry economic interests in California.
• Community Foundation of the ValleysregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development partner for the Valleys area of Los Angeles County.
• National Association of Women Business Owners, Los AngelesstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner supporting women-owned businesses in Los Angeles.
• BizfedregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerLos Angeles County business federation partner for regional economic development.
• California Stewardship Network (CSN)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia-wide stewardship network partner for regional economic initiatives.
• Latino Business Chamber of Greater Los AngelesstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner representing Latino business interests in Greater Los Angeles.
• Los Angeles Public LibraryregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for community engagement and economic development education initiatives.
• Biocom CaliforniastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for the biosciences industry cluster in California.
• Los Angeles Area Chamber of CommercestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor chamber partner for business engagement in the Los Angeles area.
• Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional planning partner for Southern California economic development.
• Los Angeles County Department of Economic OpportunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore county government partner for economic development initiatives.
• San Gabriel Valley Economic PartnershipregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development partner for San Gabriel Valley area.
• Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development CorporationregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional ED partner for Santa Clarita Valley.
• The Valley Economic AllianceregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic alliance partner for the Valley area of Los Angeles County.
• Vermont Slauson Economic Development CorporationregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development corporation partner for South Los Angeles area.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz): State-level economic development agency that coordinates international trade promotion, FDI attraction, and business assistance across California. Operates in an overlapping space with WTCLA at a larger geographic scale and with greater government resources.
• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): Industry association for economic development professionals and organizations globally. Represents the broader EDO ecosystem in which WTCLA operates, providing training, certification, and thought leadership that shapes the practice.

Direct peers

• Bay Area Council: Regional economic development and business advocacy organization for the San Francisco Bay Area. It convenes business and government leaders, conducts economic research, and drives regional economic strategy in a manner directly comparable to LAEDC/WTCLA.
• Greater Houston Partnership: Regional economic development organization serving the Houston metro with business recruitment, international trade promotion, and member-driven programming. Comparable in scale and mission to LAEDC/WTCLA as a comprehensive metropolitan EDO.
• World Trade Center San Diego: San Diego-based affiliate of the World Trade Centers Association providing international trade promotion and business connections. Directly comparable as a regional WTC affiliate operating in Southern California with similar services.
• Metro Atlanta Chamber: Regional chamber and economic development organization for metro Atlanta, providing business recruitment, international trade promotion, and member services. Comparable mission and business model to LAEDC/WTCLA in a major U.S. metro.
• World Trade Center New York: Another affiliate of the global World Trade Centers Association network operating in a major U.S. metropolitan area. WTCNY provides international trade promotion, business networking, and FDI facilitation services directly comparable to WTCLA's mandate.
• World Trade Center Chicago: Chicago-based World Trade Centers Association affiliate providing international trade services and FDI promotion. Comparable as a major U.S. metropolitan WTC offering trade facilitation, business networking, and member services.

Regional players

• Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce: Major regional business association serving the Los Angeles area with member services, advocacy, and economic development programming. It operates in the same geographic market as WTCLA with overlapping business engagement and policy influence activities.

Others

• SelectUSA (U.S. Department of Commerce): U.S. federal government program within the Department of Commerce promoting FDI into the United States. WTCLA's Select LA Investment Summit is officially affiliated with SelectUSA, making it both a partner and adjacent player in the federal FDI promotion ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/laedc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/laedc
• Facebookfacebook.com/laedc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-trade-center-los-angeles
• Instagraminstagram.com/laedc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Trade Center Los Angeles