A horror story for Martin
Martin’s phone wouldn’t stop beeping and his team were almost in tears. It had all started so well, with a long-planned VIP trade mission to four countries in the Middle East. The aim was to build high-level government-to-government relationships, while showcasing the products of a bus-load of exporters interested in testing new market opportunities.
In hindsight, Martin realized that his planning was insufficient. He had ceded to political pressure to cover four countries within just six working days. Three people had already lost their luggage! And despite pre-mission coaching, some businesspeople on the bus were simply not ready to enter this complex market, which undermined the group’s credibility.
To make matters worse, because they hadn’t properly tested the traffic on the routes in each city, they were running late for almost all the meetings. As the final straw, the VIP Minister heading the delegation flew back a day early because of a major issue back home, cancelling the most important meeting.
The overall result? A major reputation risk for his country and his team, damage to his valuable local relationships, and a lot of unhappy exporters. Martin was determined to prepare a set of recommendations to avoid such disasters in the future.
Key Points
Exporters on a trade mission or in a national stand at a trade fair can achieve things they would not be able to achieve individually.
Missions led by a minister or other high-level person can often gain access to top-level decision makers in the host country, but it is necessary to know what the minister or high-level person wants to achieve from the mission.
Well-organized dinners and receptions can be the high point of a mission, trade show or high-level visit.
In-store promotions can promote national products and branding to retail consumers.
Seminars, academic forums, webinars can be good tools for promoting exporting services.
Sometimes it makes sense to take a group of buyers from the host country back to the home country.
Trade fairs bring advantages because the organizer brings the audience and handles much of the logistics. They can also be combined with trade missions, and company and client visits.
Trade fairs bring advantages because the organizer brings the audience and handles much of the logistics. They can also be combined with trade missions, and company and client visits.
Checklists
Checklist: Organizing a trade mission
BEFORE THE MISSION
Scheduling
Set mission dates at least three to six months in advance, especially for high-profile missions.
Appropriate timing is essential. Pick dates that take advantage of useful events, to encourage synergies. Avoid public holidays, other missions or events, or anything that might divert attention from the mission.
If high-level persons are involved, agree on the mission with the home government early on; establish who will be the liaison point on the home government side.
Mission members for a minister-led mission should be senior business people. They should accompany the full programme. Junior-level substitutes should not be allowed.
Programme
Develop a programme of events, meetings and visits. Be realistic in terms of timing; allow for delays.
Secure venues, particularly for high-level meetings.
Define the itinerary, including places to be visited, with reasons, and duration of stay in each location.
Avoid courtesy calls. Aim for meetings with a serious business objective.
If possible, avoid having accompanying spouses, who can require a parallel programme, doubling the workload.
Check for public holidays and major local events that could affect the programme.
Preparation
Visit venues in advance, test routes, identify risks and how to mitigate them.
Agree on a budget for the mission and who covers each cost.
Try to attend a mission briefing in the home country before departure. If that is not possible, join by video conference.
Register guests at hotels before their arrival to save on check-in time.
DURING THE MISSION
For minister-led missions, go to the airport to welcome the mission.
On arrival, have a personal welcome pack with a complete programme ready for mission members.
Brief the delegation as soon as possible after arrival.
Ask everyone to be on time, for example, assemble the mission in the hotel foyer 15 minutes before departure.
Do a debriefing session at the end of each day to discuss progress and receive feedback.
AFTER THE MISSION
After the mission, prepare an evaluation report and submit this to the home authority. The report should highlight what was achieved and detail any agreed action to follow up on the mission.
Thank all parties in the host country who received, met and helped with the mission. This maintains goodwill.
Checklist: Organizing national stands for trade fairs or exhibitions
BEFORE THE TRADE FAIR
Plan participation well ahead (eight to 12 months) to secure a good location for a national stand.
Agree on a project plan and allocate roles, including content, cost of the organizer’s efforts, and share of work between the head office in the home country and the office abroad.
Engage contractors to design and construct the stand and handle advertising, marketing and freight. Often organizers can recommend suppliers.
Remain in regular contact with the team at home. Knowing national companies interested in the market can help to recruit participants. Vet the participating companies, and inform them clearly about benefits and their responsibilities. Encourage them to prepare materials in local languages for the trade fair.
Participating companies need to know appropriate procedures to import their exhibits. The trade fair organizer can generally help with this.
Companies should be clear about their aims for the event. Do they want to find a local representative, identify new buyers, support an existing agent or renew contacts in the market?
DURING THE TRADE FAIR
Attend daily, if the trade fair or exhibition is important and has a national pavilion or strong participation from the home country.
Depending on the market, ensure that interpreters are available.
On the first day, tour the stands of home country exhibitors to introduce yourself and offer assistance, regardless of whether the exhibitors are part of the national group.
Distribute information sheets to exhibitors new to the market, for example about the country and ways of doing business.
Exhibitors may ask for information about potential partners or buyers that visit their stand. Reiterate advice about being careful in selecting local agents and distributors, and not rushing into an agreement.
AFTER THE TRADE FAIR
At the end of the event, ask national participants about success in achieving their objectives. This can be key information when deciding whether to take a national group again the following year.
Checklist: High-level brief for a commercial visit
Speaking notes: prepare for any opportunities that might arise in a meeting or to address a group of people. Include key points to make on each occasion and answers to difficult questions that might be raised. Keep them clear and concise.
One page summary: use bullet points and short sentences.
Background notes on accompanying trade mission members: include their specific market objectives and what they aim to achieve during the mission. This material should be commissioned from the participating companies.
Contact details: include phone numbers and e-mail addresses for anyone that the VIP or accompanying party might need to contact during the visit.
Biographical and organizational profiles: include brief profiles of key people that the VIP will meet and notes on organizations to be visited. Highlight how they are relevant to the business agenda and any key issues.
A market brief: you may need to customize a general brief for a VIP.
VIP’s itinerary: include the final itinerary as agreed with the VIP’s private office, the embassy and local ministry of foreign affairs or head of protocol. You may be responsible for the full itinerary in the case of a commercial visit or may provide input on commercial elements of a wider programme.
Checklist: When to bring buyers to home country
The products or services are difficult to send internationally. Examples include a specialist school, inbound tourism services or locations film industry locations.
The goods or services capacity and quality of the supplying country are not well-known, or the country has a negative and inaccurate brand image.
There is an existing commercial event. When such events are well established in the home country, it can be very effective to bring a carefully selected group of buyers or to encourage their attendance.
A major sporting event, such as the Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup, can provide an opportunity to invite key host country buyers and decision makers.
When the buyer lacks confidence in the supplier regarding quality, ability to supply quantities or production standards.
Cases of inward investment. Sometimes trade representatives are involved in organizing visits of potential investors, while liaising closely with the inward investment agency.
Travel or business journalists and TV crews invited to the home country may produce favourable, influential material.
An industry association or individual company takes an initiative to invite a potential buyer or a group of buyers.
A conference or technical seminar, usually in conjunction with a business programme.
A programme for opinion makers such as journalists, economists, think-tank specialists or academics, which can promote a positive image of the country.
Checklist: Trade representative’s role when bringing buyers to home country
Identify the opportunity.
Identify serious buyers – consider whether the buyer is already buying this type of product or service or has a serious interest in doing so.
Plan a programme for buyers in conjunction with the home-based organization.
Approach the buyers with a formal invitation.
Negotiate a programme with the buyer and the support organization in the home country. Brief buyers prior to departure.
Accompany the buyer on the visit. While this can result in positive spin-offs, it is expensive in terms of the trade representative’s time. It is therefore useful to consider whether home office staff can handle activities in the home country.
Follow up with the buyer after the visit.
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