During this series of blogs, I will be guiding you through trade missions, looking at what they are and also some basic tips for international business travel. And I wanted to share some first hand experience, having just returned from my first trade mission to Thailand.
The term "Trade Mission" doesn’t always make you want to pack up your laptop and jump on a plane to a new country, you might think that you will be spending a few days smiling for the cameras whilst shaking hands with politicians, but, let’s hope that after reading this you’ll be looking at how you can join one.
A trade mission is a coordinated overseas visit by a group of businesses to participate in pre- arranged meetings, trade show visits or seminars. They can sometimes be sector focused, but they are mainly focused on a target country.
If you are new to exporting, or new to a particular country, then a trade mission might just be the perfect way to start. Led by a professional that usually has a vast amount of knowledge in the country you are visiting, all the stress of planning your visit can be alleviated.
With the help of a team of experts overseas, the mission leader will arrange a series of events over the duration of the stay that are specific to your sector, so for instance if you work in the Children’s clothing sector then the visit may be arranged to coincide with a trade show based around all things young children and toddlers. During the visit the team overseas may also arrange for you to visit some local stores that sell children’s or arrange a networking event and invite some local influential business people.
Or, if you are a law firm wishing to meet with potential overseas partners, explore opportunities or gain more knowledge on current legislations, then a trip to the IBA (International Bar Association) would be the trade mission for you. During the IBA there are opportunities to network with international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies.
If you’re visiting a show, it’s a good idea to talk to some of the exhibitors about the show to find out how successful it has been for them and if they exhibit every year. You may find that next year exhibiting at the show would be beneficial to your business.
Of course there is the cost of your flights and accommodation, in market expenses and the cost of the time to have someone away from your business, so consider all these financial elements before you make the decision. Our International Exhibitions workshop can help you out with some research tips and help you prepare for a show. There will also be a cost for joining the mission as you will need to contribute to the time the team overseas have spent arranging the programme and any costs they have incurred in the process, this will be arranged before your visit and will be payable in advance of your departure.
To help you along the way we ask you to attend a pre mission briefing. This is a meeting usually held a couple of weeks before departure. During the meeting you will have the opportunity to meet all the other delegates, the mission leader and to iron out any last minute concerns. Remember, ask everything, no question is considered ridiculous as it may be the first time many of the people in the room have also visited the market and may have had the same concern as you. Meeting the other delegates before you leave is really useful, you never know they might be on the same flight as you, so if you have concerns about travelling alone at least you will now know someone to pass the time with. You might also meet someone whose product or service compliments yours and you end up forging a strong and mutually beneficial working relationship
As you can see joining a trade mission could be just the thing you have been looking for to begin the journey of exporting your product or service. Why spend many stressful hours trying to get a meeting with a business overseas that might be interested in your product when all the stress can be taken out of it for you?
To find out more and to read about my experience in Thailand, keep following my blog for updates.
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1 comment
Comment by jonsondavid posted on
Very interesting post, I appreciate your work, same as this MK TCG works closely with officials from the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the Department of Commerce and the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) of the Department of State.
http://www.tradecompliancegroup.com/