A seminar for elected staff representatives of municipalities who want to increase their understanding, skills and competence and that of local industry to learn about the international market.
Why do we have to change our strategies?
Not only do we compete with municipalities in the domestic market, we also compete with countries and regions from all over the world. The same also apply for industry.
Trading blocks such as NAFTA, the EU increases the market for goods and services. They also bring more competition which means that municipalities have to activate their industries, and broaden their horizon to all areas of the world.
Many companies in North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe and other territories plan to establish themselves outside their home market. Why should they establish in your municipality or even your country? For the municipalities and industry, this means that there must be goals, strategies, and incentives to establish in your municipality and not in another municipality or country.
Aims and goals of the program.
- To motivate and stimulate the municipalities in becoming more international
- To increase the cooperation between the municipality and the local companies
- To develop specific advantages for your municipality
- To provide information and knowledge of how the municipality can communicate with the rest of the world
- To attract domestic and global companies
- To coordinate the resources and knowledge between municipalities and industry.
Method and result:
Export Pro Inc. seminars/workshops will help you to convert your ideas into practical actions. We provide you with presentations, discussions, and group work, and draw conclusions from these. We will discuss how you can build market communication, i.e. credit-checks, press- releases, how to take care of foreign visitors, and also how to attract foreign companies to establish themselves in your territory.
Decisions from the discussions and group activities will be formed into an action plan. The action plan is specific for your municipality. The final result will form a base for how you should proceed to become more active internationally. The action plan has to show what should be done and how to carry out the activities.
Highlights of program
- How to get international companies interested in establishing themselves in your municipality
- How to take care of foreign visitors.
- How the municipalities in a region can act to coordinate resources and knowledge.
- How to promote the local industry to more actively become involved in exporting and international business.
- How to use large amounts of information, via databases, to find the right companies for the municipalities.
- How market communication can be built up, using goals, strategies, multimedia and press releases.
This is start of a series of educational and practical seminars and work shops designed to activate the municipalities in becoming more international and at the same time increase the team work between the industry and the municipality, (e.g. how are foreign companies and investors attracted to the regions.)
Program content:
Day 1.
Session 1. 09.15 -12.15
– Introduction and background
– Today’s and tomorrows international markets
How does the world market look today, in 10, 20 or 40 years, and what does that mean to us as a municipality? Which trading blocks will influence us, what industries could we keep, who will leave and who can we attract?
What differs between domestic and international business, and how does this influence us?
How does business work in different countries and what do we have to do in order to understand and adapt to this?
Discussions and group work about long term goals and visions
– Dialog.
- A simulated example of a foreign company who is interested in investing in the region.
– Group work – What does your municipality have to do in order to:
- Get international companies to establish themselves in your municipality.
- Professionally take care of foreign visitors and know how to treat them.
- Ensure that the different municipalities in the region shall act jointly in order to, in the best way; make their region successful on the international market.
– Group work – What can your municipality offer:
- Foreign companies and investors
- A study of strength and weaknesses and what we need to learn
- Initiation of group work
12.15 Lunch
Session 2. 13.15 – 17.30
- Carrying out group work and presentations
- Summarize the final result, which should include the target and goals, and how to utilize existing knowledge and resources.
- How do other countries and municipalities sell themselves?
- Examples from other countries and municipalities on how they present themselves. Samples of advertising, sales-material, and video presentations from different markets. Can we learn from them?
- Based on what you can offer
What kind of industries and investments do you want? Initiation of group work to decide what type of industries, individuals and investors you want to reach?
18.30 – 19.30 Dinner
Day 2.
Session 3. 08.15 -12.00
- How do companies and individuals proceed when establishing business abroad?
- Examples from different companies and industries
- To put a profile on foreign investments
Presentation and discussion as to how companies compose their profile in order to establish foreign operations.
- How to search for new industries, investors and how to find partners for the local industry.
- Use of On-line-Databases and their possibilities for the municipality to find partners for themselves and their industry, as well as investigating the potential partner
- Market communication
Some of the latest technologies used by the industry which will be useful for your municipality. Which parallels/differences can we see? What consequences will this result in for your marketing?
- Goals and strategies and how to proceed.
In order to achieve goals, there is a demand for strategies, organization, and engagement. A presentation followed by group work and discussions as to how the municipalities and industry together can organize themselves using common goals and strategies, will be provided. This will result in an activity plan which should show what shall be done and how it should be carried through. The topics below give a picture of the possible action plan.
Action plan for the internationalization of municipalities
Analysis of today’s situation
– The situation today? – The situation tomorrow?
– Strong areas? – Weak areas?
Vision
How do you want to look in the future? What should your municipality offer?
What do you want?
Your “clients”- With whom do you want to create business?
Industries, service companies, sub-suppliers
How should you search for new companies? – What tools are available to find the right companies?
– Within the municipality
– Within the region
– Within your trading block and the rest of the world
Strategies – How can you reach your goals?
– Within the municipality, with other municipalities
– Together with companies, banks, newspapers, The Governments etc.
What do you need to learn?
– Business
– Language
– Legalities
– Culture, way of doing business
How should you market yourselves?
– Within your trading block
– Asia
– North America
– Europe
– Latin America, The old Eastern block, the new trading blocks
Action plan
What should you do?
Who should do it?
When should you do it?
Who is responsible?
Where should you do it?
11.45 -12.00 – summary and closing
We have a broad range of seminars and workshops and do also tailor-make programs for each client. Our programs are in English and Swedish www.exportpro.com
Read our book:
Export & Import – Winning in the Global Marketplace: A practical hands-on guide to success in international business, with 100s of real-world examples + exercises (ISBN 9780968114810). Order one today. We promise that after reading the book, you will have a better understanding of international business. Visit www.exportpro.com to view the table of contents and look inside the book.
Why hire Export Pro Inc. as a coach and consultant for this project?
Export Pro has:
More than 40 years practical experience in more than 100 countries
A proven track record of having carried out similar activities together with other municipalities and authorities.
Achieved the best result ever for an EU project. A two-year program with 9 participating companies in Sweden resulted in an average increased export per company of 29%. In addition the companies achieved a 21.6% increase in sales, a productivity increase of 11.8 % and increased the number of employees by 24.7%. Other projects in Europe achieved similar results.
Material used has been tested on a number of similar projects
Export Pro has developed a broad range of seminars and workshops. Programs can also be customized to the needs of each client. Programs can be delivered in English and Swedish. Visit www.exportpro.com for more details and user testimonials.
The seminar leader Leif Holmvall, Owner and President of Export Pro Inc.
Leif has more than 40 years experience in International Business in more than 100 countries. He has lived and worked in both Europe and North America. He gained his experience as an executive of several Swedish companies, covering a broad range of industries, and as Swedish Trade Commissioner to Canada. He has operated his own consulting businesses since 1982, coaching foreign companies to become successful in international business. Leif also teach at international universities and conducts seminars for executives in Europe.
Most of Leif’s business is with overseas clients. His portfolio includes acting as an agent or representative for foreign companies to set up distribution, select distributors and activate them. His clients today include companies in North America, Europe and Asia.
Leif has real hands-on experience, and is known for his ability to discuss not only each company’s activities but also to give detailed answers on country-specific questions. His presentations are down-to-earth, interactive, refreshing and based on his many years of practical experience. He is the author of many books on international business (visit the website www.exportpro.com) and a popular guest speaker at universities, business schools and corporations in North America and Europe. Over 5,000 company representatives and individuals have attended his seminars and workshops and over 200 companies have expanded into international business using his expertise.
Leif is an engineer with numerous degrees and credentials in international marketing.
For more information about his company, visit the web site www.exportpro.com .
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