These and similar sites promote the commercial potential of a country or region. They provide direct infrastructures, international special exhibitions, virtual trade shows, and trade strategies. Conceptually, their mission is direct: connect sellers in one place to buyers in another. Operationally, they provide powerful business-to-business tools that improve the mechanics of trade, creating flexible and dynamic platforms that let buyers and sellers of everything from bamboo toothpicks to industrial equipment find each other, negotiate the terms of trade, and seal the deal.