Case studies

D'Arcy Smith at Baltic Sea Partenariat 2001

The Partenariat event was staged at a large conference and exhibition centre in Kipsala, an area just outside of the main city, a short ride on one of the many courtesy buses available from the hotel. The venue was very modern with excellent facilities, including an Internet Café for those of us who needed to keep in touch with what was happening back in the office. Everything was well organised, with plenty of friendly, helpful staff and the whole area was kept immaculately clean.

The layout of the exhibition area made it very easy to find the location of your meetings, making it possible to keep to time when you had appointments booked every 30 minutes. Most companies were able to converse in English, and we only had to use the services of an interpreter on a couple of occasions. These were usually students, who spoke excellent English and were also eager to offer their interpreting skills for future business transactions.

The business contacts we made were excellent, and we are hopeful that we will be able to help these companies develop their business activities in the UK over a period of time. In particular, if any of you who read this article are looking for new venues for your company’s annual conference or international meetings, please let us know.

At the end of the first day, we had an invitation to attend a gala evening at Lido, the favourite recreational facility for residents and guests of Riga. The main building is the largest wooden loghouse in Europe, with a windmill attached to one end. The building houses a brewery and has eating areas on three floors. In addition, there were marquees in the grounds also providing a wonderful range of food. Entertainment was provided by dancers and singers in national costume, and the event closed with a firework display.

Again the food, hospitality and organisation was second to none.

We would say to anyone looking for either a different holiday destination or to expand their business markets to consider Latvia. We were so pleased that we had an extra day to take in some of the sights of Riga, which is a wonderful city, full of history and culture, with excellent restaurants and cafes, good shops and a huge market, which seemed to go on for miles!

Hopefully some of the contacts we made will develop into strong business relationships, requiring regular visits to Riga, giving us the opportunity to learn more about the Baltic States.

Evtacon Goes for Growth through Networking

The dilemma faced by Software Development Company, Evtacon, is common to many small and medium sized businesses. In order to win the larger contracts it needs to grow, the company must broaden its skills base. Yet the cost of employing in-house people with such skills is beyond its means.

The solution, according to Business Development Co-ordinator, Susan Fooks, is to network with other SMEs to exchange complementary skills and achieve a cross-fertilisation of ideas and experience. It was with this intention that the company began attending Partenariat events. The first was Eurotex in Dallas earlier this year and Evtacon has visited two more since then. Two of the three events were aimed exclusively at companies within the IT industry.

Evtacon, which employs just seven full-time staff, is dedicated to providing bespoke software solutions to a range of different companies. A recent commission involved developing a probate package for a UK legal firm, which Evtacon now plans to offer to a wider market. Susan explains how a contact forged at Partenariat could assist in the marketing of this particular software:

"In every country the law is different, which means that the software must be adapted. We are currently in discussions with companies in South Africa and Scotland with regard to adapting this particular package. Other contacts have been made through Europartenariat with two Austrian companies and also one from an Italian Software Development Company, with whom an exchange of technology is planned. Having already met face to face, there is a good rapport between us, which will be an important advantage when it comes to negotiating terms."

Other contacts made at Partenariat offer promising long-term prospects, including a plan to pursue a joint research and development project, with funding from Europe.

Susan concludes:

"There is a real buzz about Partenariat. It is highly motivating to meet companies that share your interests and ambitions and to discuss how you could work together for mutual benefit. We have also found it impacts on our credibility as a company. Clients and competitors regard Evtacon's attendance at international business events as a demonstration that we are seriously committed to growth and to improving the service we offer."

Reliant Cars

The company has a turnover of £6 million of which 10% of turnover comes from exports. Managing Director Stewart Halstead went on a Partenariat visit to Delhi in March 1999 to find contacts with whom to market Reliant's expertise in fibreglass and to seek cost-saving components. He said of his visit:

"I was overrun with interested firms at the event. It is very easy to be overawed, so it is important to go armed with a very focused idea of what you want. I achieved everything I had come here for and was very impressed by the whole operation."

M4 Data - Designer and Manufacturer of Computer Hardware

The company has a turnover of £15 million with 70% coming from export sales. M4 Data was hit hard by the slump in the Far East losing between £3 million and £4 million in sales since 1997. The company's exports to India were already worth £1 million and Sales Manager Richard Somerset wanted to increase this by 50%, diversifying the company's export markets beyond its current concentration in the US. Mr Somerset said of his Partenariat visit to Delhi, India in March 1999:

"I received a lot of good advice on the trip, in particular about new methods of payment. I achieved more than I had anticipated, finding new partners to sell our products. There are so many opportunities due to lack of competition out there. Discussions with these contacts will now start in earnest. Come back and see me in six months' time when the real test begins and we start shipping goods. But I'm optimistic."