Economic Development Unit
ATLANTA TRADE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
The third phase of this succesful trade development initiative will be launched in 2012.
THE ATLANTA TRADE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Despite its excellent infrastructure and the location of a major airport, Atlanta has to date remained a relatively untapped market from both Invest NI and other local NI councils. However, Lisburn City Council's Economic Development team has developed an excellent array of contacts in the Atlanta area and through the Atlanta Trade Development Programme local companies are given invaluable support to step into the US market, which is traditionally a hard market to tap into.
KEY BENEFITS
- Facilitation of market research – primary and secondary
- Greater promotional impact on the market through group presence
- Access to high level government officials
- Access to high end businesses
- Raises general awareness of exporting in the home country
- Provides important experience for inexperienced exporters
- Inter group exchanges and sharing of information
2011 ATLANTA TRADE VISIT
Lisburn City Council continues to forge strong transnational linkages in the US, through its Atlanta Trade Development programme, and has now funded two trade missions to this market and has assisted tenlocal companies to explore new market opportunities and strategic business partnerships in the Atlanta market.
The most recent Council led visit to Atlanta took place in October 2011 and comprised both civic and business delegations. Businesses who visited the Atlanta market during this trade mission with the Council included, Koko Boutique, Janmary Designs, Boomer Industries, and APT Innovations, with two remaining companies still to visit the market.
Alongside the busy schedule for local companies, the civic delegation held meetings with government and business leaders in Atlanta to further promote local businesses and to raise the profile of the City of Lisburn in this market. To this end meetings were held with the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the British Council, the Irish Chamber, Atlanta City Council, the British Consule General Annabelle Malins and Irish Consule General Paul Gleeson, as well as Sandy Springs Council with whom Lisburn Council is currently working on a number of business market research projects with local schools.
Pictures from Atlanta Trade Visit 2011
Vice Chair of the Economic Development Committee Alderman Allan Ewart, the Right Worshipful, the Mayor, Councillor Brian Heading, Chair of the Economic Development Committee, Alderman Jim Dillon and Assistant Director, Environmental Services (Economic Development) Paul Mc Cormick.
2010 ATLANTA TRADE VISIT
See Atlanta Trade Visit Photo Gallery>
In September 2010 Lisburn City Council offered local firms the chance to be part of a Trade Development Programme to Atlanta, Georgia, US where firms will meet similar companies and forage trade links and establish new business contacts, with the explicit expectation that new strategic business linkages/partnerships are identified, which will result in new business for participant companies.
The five-day trade mission provided six companies with an invaluable opportunity to participate in individual business meetings with hand picked US companies. These companies benefited from new market knowledge and exporting skills, product sourcing, best practice observation and the establishment of new international partnerships.
Each business also availed of networking opportunities with members of the three main business Chambers of Commerce in Atlanta: the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Irish Chamber and the British American Chamber. These meetings resulted in many new business contacts being made.
A dedicated civic itinerary further strengthened the linkages between the Cities of Lisburn and Atlanta, which already exist because of inward investors to the Lisburn area such as Coca Cola and General Electric both of which have are based in Atlanta. The Civic delegation met with both the British and Irish Consulates to promote Lisburn businesses and inward investment.
Councillor Jenny Palmer, Chair of the Council's Economic Development Unit, said: “Despite the current economic climate on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Atlanta is recognised as one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. It is for this reason that I am very keen to see trade links with this region further develop for the benefit of Lisburn companies. The scale of the economy and businesses located in Atlanta offers many market opportunities to be further exploited by local businesses.”
PARTICIPANTS
The following businesses participated on the Atlanta Trade Development Programme:
- Global Oil Lubricants
- Arcatech
- Advance Thermoform Tooling
- Zest Audio
- McGreevy Engineering
- Brown Packaging
For more information on how Lisburn City Council is supporting and developing local businesses, contact Hazel King, Economic Development Manager, on 028 9250 9484 or email hazel.king@lisburn.gov.uk