fdi leaders …making location connections

The excitement is building up for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in July/August/September.  As well as spectacular sport, it will also be a great chance for trade and investment activity, with over 200 countries participating in the Games.  Various national “Olympic Houses” will be a hotbed of networking and deal-making.  Lancaster House is where the British Government is setting up its trade hub – the British Business Embassy – and on the eve of the Olympics it will host a business summit for over 200 major companies.

We welcome all the trade and investment executives coming to London and we hope to catch up with you during the Games – do get in touch!

We already know of one Olympic winner – our good friend Alan was one of the many people in the UK who bid for Games tickets, and after going for all his favourite sports, as an after-thought he also bid for beach volleyball tickets.  He was lucky enough to get some tickets, and guess what for…the women’s beach volleyball semi-finals!  He says he already has the tickets allocated to friends and family, but we are currently in negotiations with him on this…

You know we are massive fans of cities as centres of innovation and creativity, however we do keep our eye on interesting rural locations too.

As we try to get used to the idea that there are now 7 billion (..and counting) of us on the planet, it is good to look to locations where people are the minority and nature is the majority.  Lots of room to think and create.

One hotspot which is on our radar is Rovaniemi in Lapland, Finland. This is the official hometown of Santa Claus which has a vibrant cultural and tech scene. We are looking forward to February 2012 when it hosts Rovaniemi Design Week, and we have been promised a meeting with the great man himself…

The creative industries are a glamorous sector for economic development, and they certainly help spice up the brochures and promotions of locations seeking investment.  However, how much do they actually contribute to the world of FDI?  An event taking place in Tallinn Creative Entrepreneurship for a Competitive Economy 19-21 October will be looking at the significance of the creative industries for growing economies.

On the evening of Monday 10 October at the Instititute of Directors in London, there will be an interesting FDI-related event, Capitalising on Commercial Opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe.  We will be involved, discussing government incentives on offer.  See you there!