Our services include, but are not limited to:

Bilateral relationships/developing commercial partnerships

Organisations specialising in bilateral trade and investment initiatives can be important collaborators in any global project. Such organisations may include bilateral Chambers of Commerce, specialist government agencies or global professional services firms. We are well connected and use these relationships in the UK and overseas to leverage support for our clients. Activities include:

• Stimulating exports: support for countries export activities with initiatives to match buyers and sellers
• Attracting new inward investment: refining inward investment propositions to tell the right compelling story to businesses
• Prospect identification and lead generation activity to attract prospective investors to international markets
• Leading trade missions from the UK to international markets

Representational activities

For organisations based in an overseas market and seeking to engage with domestic based buyers or partners in a new territory, we can offer to act as your outsourced Commercial or Sales Director, testing the market and building the bridges necessary to explore the market, while your management continues to operate the core domestic business. This is particularly relevant for businesses wanting to enter the UK market. Activities include:

• Provision of outsourced in Country Commercial/Sales Director services to help overseas businesses open up markets such as the UK: seeking to engage with buyers and partners, testing the market and building bridges necessary to explore the market
• Sourcing the partners, suppliers, logisticians, advisors, agents and distributors necessary for successful long-term market development.

Trade shows/conferences and raising your profile

Our work for clients to date has shown us just how important attendance at selected shows and events can be when seeking to generate leads. Prospects attend in their hundreds, making initial contact/engagement with them difficult if not pre-planned due to the abundance of opportunity. This can all be time consuming and expensive, particularly if travel is involved. We can do all this for clients and in a European context can easily get to and deliver services on the ground, though we can operate in any market. With careful pre-event identification of potential and actual attendees and diligent planning, we can approach prospects to arrange meetings in advance and make additional contacts via dialogue with other delegates. We can do all this and report back in detail, all while our client concentrates on the core business, avoiding distraction and expensive travel costs. Activities include:

• Delivering pre-organised trade/investment focused roadshows designed to open doors
• Acting as your representative at appropriate trade shows and conferences, pre-arranging meetings with potential clients, networking and presenting on your behalf.
• Supporting country or regional delegations seeking to visit the event or country in question to connect with pre-selected targeted businesses
• Delivery of a trade/investment conference based events to develop bilateral commercial opportunities

Round-table events

Organising a series of discreet, confidential lunches with small groups of prospective investors and trade partners can pay real dividends. We know from our work for clients to date just how valuable these can be. Inviting carefully selected guests, keeping the group small and holding the lunch at an interesting venue are key and such an initiative can easily combine with other services we offer.

Marketing

We have a robust follow-up process and are able to operate in a multitude of languages. We can provide organisations with market analysis, clear market entry strategies and mechanisms for engagement in-country. Direct marketing to your potential audience in a professional and targeted way can produce real results. We can undertake carefully researched and executed direct marketing to engage with prospective buyers, suppliers, sellers, investors and trade partners.

International business forums 

We have organised a series of international business forums over the years. Drawing on our experience of hosting major UK forums, we can establish similar events in other markets and ‘flex’ the forum to focus on issues of relevance to that market. Types of events include:

• Meetings and workshops for up to 10 guests
• Seminars for up to 50 delegates
• Conferences for over 100: we have a proven track record of successful major events including our Transatlantic Business Forum which takes the form of a full day conference focused on trade and investment interests, opportunities and issues.

Centre for international business

We have the ability to establish such a centre to act as a offer information, advice and support to organisations seeking to find about our clients offering. Typically this might involve provision of face to face, telephone and web based support and information provision, possibly in a trade or inward investment context. Such Centres would be the go-to place for expert help and information, while also signposting those seeking help to other sources of practical help.

Touchdown space

Our experience tells us that businesses truly appreciate a soft-landing when they arrive in a market that is new to them. We can establish Touchdown suites in overseas markets to help attract trade partners and prospective investors. It would enable them to easily explore the area and help them settle. The concept hinges on the provision of a small but professional soft landing suite for use by pre-vetted visitors. This would give them a base to work from and offer local contacts a venue at which they can engage with potential partners. Normal business facilities would be needed.

BREXIT

In the current UK political and economic climate, we are hugely mindful of the concerns and interests of businesses around the world on the impact of BREXIT. We can arrange briefings, workshops and ‘think-tank’ discussion groups to help our clients understand how best to future-proof their businesses in a post BREXIT world.