In October 2008 the East Midlands China Business Bureau organised a business delegation to visit the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Ningbo. The mission consisted of 18 East Midlands businesses, from various sectors including IT, education and manufacturing, who met with potential business partners in both cities.
Following a market briefing by UKTI’s Shanghai officers businesses attended pre-arranged meetings with companies identified through market research commissioned before the visit. The Chinese companies were specifically chosen for each UK business as they were relevant and interested in working with them. Individual meetings were arranged throughout the week and coordinated to fit in with the main program for the group. The delegation travelled from Shanghai via the newly opened Hangzhou Bay Bridge, the longest sea bridge in the world, to the city of Ningbo, twinned with Nottingham. A seminar day was held in the city with attendance by local officials and companies to hear about the business opportunities available in the East Midlands. The delegates had one2one meetings with local businesses during the afternoon and the event was finished off with dinner and networking.
David Rose from Good N Local, a Nottinghamshire based company in the agricultural sector commented that the trip was ‘a fantastic experience and one that has given a very real opportunity to carry out business, something that would not have happened without the support and knowledge of the East Midlands China Business Bureau’. David is now looking to further explorer the opportunities he discovered with the Bureau’s assistance.
The next China Bureau market visit will be in 2009, details will be published on this website when available.
Programme:
Saturday 18th Oct: Depart UK for Shanghai
Sunday 19th Oct: Arrive in Shanghai
Monday 20th Oct: Briefing by UKTI British Consulate-General in Shanghai
PM Business meetings
Tuesday 21st Oct: Individual business meetings
Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics Fair (optional)
Travel to Ningbo in the evening
Wednesday 22nd Oct: Ningbo-East Midlands Business Programme
Networking dinner with Ningbo businesses and government officials
Thursday 23rd Oct: Company Business Meetings
Ningbo International Fashion Fair (Optional)
Friday 24th Oct: AM Business meetings
PM travel back to Shanghai
Saturday 25th Oct: Fly back to UK
Support package:
- Market visit subvention of £750 per company to eligible companies
- Briefing from UK Trade & Investment at British Consulate-General, Shanghai.
- Pre-mission briefing to become familiar with Chinese business culture, etiquette and negotiation tips.
- Support throughout the visit from our China Business Advisors
- Assistance in obtaining official invitation letter, Visa, Translation, etc
Eligibility:
To qualify for the support package your business needs to be located in the East Midlands region, employ less than 250 people or be a higher education or FE college, and be new to this market. Larger businesses can also participate but are not eligible for the support package. Companies are strongly advised to commission an Overseas Market Introductory Service (OMIS)report provided by UK Trade & Investment which will help you arrange business meetings and develop business plans for China.
