Economic development agencies in both the United Kingdom and Sweden have asked Fulton County Development Authority to send business delegations this fall to events exploring investment, joint-venture and trade opportunities, according to Edward Nelson, an economic development consultant for Fulton County.
The surge of interest in international trade follows a recent successful seminar between a delegation of British entrepreneurs and members of both the North and South Fulton Chambers of Commerce and other Atlanta business leaders.
“The whole event went beyond our expectations,” said Mr. Nelson, president and CEO of EAN International Consulting, which is working with Fulton’s Development Authority to facilitate trade relationships between local and international businesses.
“Usually it takes two to three meetings before you zero in on potential matches, but we actually had several relationships develop from the event,” he said.
Now, some 10 companies from Fulton County are invited to a European-wide networking event to be held in Birmingham, England, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, said Mr. Nelson.
Another 10 businesses were requested for the European Digital Media Network in Uppsala, Sweden, Oct. 26-28.
EAN International will select companies to attend each of the networking events and pre-match the local businesses with prospective partners in Europe based on company profiles.
Mr. Nelson was president of the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce from 1997-2002 and president of the Economic Development Corporation of Fulton County from 1990-1997. He said relationships developed during years of economic development work have enabled him to establish networks with economic development agencies in 15 international markets.
EAN International’s consulting services are available at no charge to businesses within Fulton County. Services are available to companies outside of Fulton County for a fee.
The British delegation, which was from the West Midlands region of England, included businesses from the engineering, information technology, manufacturing and professional service industries, Mr. Nelson said. EAN International partnered with two economic development agencies sponsored by Coventry University Enterprises Ltd. in Coventry, England, to bring the delegation to Atlanta.
For more information on the networking events in Europe, contact Mr. Nelson at (770) 256-5605 or eanjr@eaninternational.com.