This is the second of two pages of Travellers' Tales
Immediate
cash boost for trade mission
THE MOST recent south London
trade mission to South Africa has already proved fruitful for three of
its ten participants,
within just a few weeks.
One company has a contract to
deliver cosmetics in Johannesburg; a second has landed a £40,000 job and
a
chance to help stage the closing ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in July;
and a third
is in talks with major retailers about distribution security.
The mission lasted ten days and visited three distinct markets: Johannesburg,
Durban and Cape Town.
Delivered by GLE One London and
supported by UK Trade & Investment, the mission covered a range of business, from tax accountancy to cosmetics.
POWER HOUSE: The Union Building in Pretoria is South Africa's seat of government.
In Johannesburg missioners heard
of plans to promote British trade during the imminent FIFA World Cup
with 3D
posters at all South Africa’s major airports.
They received a briefing on the
national and regional economies – challenges as well as advantages –
from the
South African office of international accountants and business advisers
PricewaterhouseCoopers.
They also met the team from
Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and learnt about a training initiative
to
support African woman who want to trade internationally.
And they visited The Innovation
Hub, Africa’s first internationally accredited science park in nearby
Pretoria.
The hub is the most
knowledge-intensive business cluster in South Africa, a place where
academics, entrepreneurs
and venture capitalists can mix and mingle with researchers and
world-class
businesses.
In association with industry and
universities in the Gauteng province, the hub has created CoachLab, a
leadership
development programme aimed at post-graduates – particularly those from
disadvantaged backgrounds – who are studying technology related
disciplines and
need help to become skilled knowledge workers.
The programme has reached
agreements for scientific and technology exchanges with AWEX of Belgium
and Texas
A&M in the United States – two internationally renowned leaders in
research
and development.
The intention is to expand this
burgeoning network through further agreements with similar organisations
in China,
India and the Middle East to identify and invest in innovation and to
locate,
protect and market the resulting start-up businesses.
In Durban, missioners received a
market briefing from the chamber of commerce and attended a networking
reception with city businesses arranged by Trade &
Industry
KwaZulu Natal, the province’s economic development agency.
In Cape Town, after a week-end at
leisure, missioners were entertained to a Monday morning networking breakfast in their hotel.
Later they were briefed on the market in the city and surrounding areas by WESGRO,
the investment and promotion agency for the Western Cape province of South
Africa.
TOP TABLE: A view of Cape Town from the summit of Table Mountain, which dominates the city and is its most famous landmark.
Bryan Treherne, chairman of SLEC
and an international trade adviser for UK Trade & Investment,
accompanied
the mission and is delighted with the early commercial success for three
of its
participants.
He said: “It would be wrong to
suggest that every trade mission achieves results of this kind so
quickly.
Sometimes it takes years of patient progress to win a contract, but a
trade
mission is the most cost-effective way to test an overseas market.
“Through our many contacts we are
able to open doors that would otherwise remain firmly closed to a
business
looking for its first order in a foreign market.
“We are able to
bring firms face
to face with potential business partners at official receptions in high
commissions and other prestigious places. These are a tried and tested
means of
effective networking.”
New paragraph
Entente distinctly cordial for Sutton business
WATERLOO station was barely aired when a party of south London early birds arrived. They were there to catch the Eurostar at the start of a mini trade mission to the City of Gagny, in the eastern suburbs of Paris.
This was Sutton's first commercial visit to its French twin town, organised with the help of South London Export Club - in particular, its chairman Bryan Treherne, who travelled with the party.
There followed an 18-hour day that was, by common consent, busy but enjoyable and highly instructive.
The Sutton delegation got to know a lot about the business climate in Gagny and found that both places have a great deal in common, even if the French city has only about one-fifth the population of the English borough.
Both are overshadowed by the centres of their respective capitals, with many of their residents choosing to commute out of the area to work, attracted by higher wages and better prospects.
They are also both dominated by larger suburban neighbours - Sutton by Croydon and Kingston, and Gagny by Euro Disney.
The Sutton delegation received a warm welcome from the Mayor of Gagny, followed by a networking lunch, a formal presentation and a coach tour of the town.
Both the French and the English are looking forward to their next meeting and the prospect of being able to find joint solutions to their common economic problems.
VOILA: Michel Teulet, Executive Mayor of Gagny (left), makes a point to Paul Cawthorne, chairman of Sutton Chamber of Commerce, during the networking lunch - picture by Gareth Curtis.
New paragraph
SLEC is sponsored by HSBC - the world's local bank
The mission lasted ten days and visited three distinct markets: Johannesburg,
Durban and Cape Town.
Delivered by GLE One London and
supported by UK Trade & Investment, the mission covered a range of business, from tax accountancy to cosmetics.
In Cape Town, after a week-end at
leisure, missioners were entertained to a Monday morning networking breakfast in their hotel.
WATERLOO station was barely aired when a party of south London early birds arrived. They were there to catch the Eurostar at the start of a mini trade mission to the City of Gagny, in the eastern suburbs of Paris.