Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Portsmouth at the Louis Vuitton Americas Cup World Series to watch the Official Parade of Sail. The boats were magnificent, and I don’t think I had understood what an adventure it must be to sail one of them, until seeing them up close. I had once been on a Hobie Cat in the Pacific Ocean – which was tremendous fun – but this was just amazing sailing. Every time a huge (44.1 ft) catamaran foiled, I could not help but hold my breath.
The British Land Rover BAR team looked GREAT and did GREAT. After the final results from Saturday (the race was cancelled on the Sunday because of bad weather) the team won the first Louis Vuitton Americas Cup World Series of 2015. This was extra special as Portsmouth is the home town for the British team.
The reason I was in Portsmouth was however not to watch the sailing (even if it was a very happy bonus) but to speak to UK companies about opportunities in Sweden. The Portsmouth City Council and UKTI South East were hosting a business event at the Southsea Castle. The event was very well run and the interest in exporting to Sweden was overwhelming. I am now back at my desk following up many of the conversations we had. The UK and Sweden are such brilliant trading nations. The two markets like-mindedness and sophistication make them perfect for business exchange, R&D, investments and trade.
But I am in even more luck! During 27-30 August, the cup is coming to Sweden – to Göteborg. UK Trade & Investment is, during the Louis Vuitton Americas Cup World Series, hosting an event showcasing British and Swedish companies driving development in the fields of advanced materials and advanced engineering. We have invited people who are working on the future of automotive, aerospace, construction and – not least – racing boats – to come, speak, participate and to do business. If you are a British or Swedish company working with advanced materials, and interested in participating and doing business, please send me an email at events@britishembassy.se and I will try to reserve a space for you (if still available).
I must admit – after seeing the catamarans racing in Portsmouth – I just can’t wait to see them in Swedish waters. And I can’t wait for more of that like-minded and sophisticated UK-Sweden business.