Watford And West Herts Chamber Of Commerce teamed up with its German sister chamber, IHK Mainz, to organise a trade delegation of local businesses to the Frankfurt Rhine- Mainz region.
The two day trip on the 24-25 May 2011, gave businesses the opportunity to meet with their German counterparts and develop trading partnerships. Firms also attended an “Economy Event” at IHK Mainz, which attracted more than 35 German companies as well as prominent dignitaries, including the head of Economic Development for Mainz, Chrisopher Sitte.
Delegates from Watford, included Larry Rach, MD of Twin Technology, Rupert Lee, Director at Blue Print Talent and our own MP for Watford, Richard Harrington.
The Mainz region is ideally located for both Watford and the rest of Europe, making it a perfectly placed city to do business with.
Importantly, as a result of this visit, Watford & West Herts Chamber formed contacts with IHK Mainz, that has access to over 41,000 member companies. The region has a critical mass of Financial Services, Pharmaceutical, Environmental and Innovation / Technology sector companies.
Mainz is also blessed with a renowned University, a Technology College as well as an excellent infrastructure of learning and apprentice centres. In particular, this region of Germany is very closely aligned with the business community in Watford. Gill Worgan, Principal of West Herts College , who also formed part of the travelling delegation said:
“The link Watford has with Mainz is already something that is respected and valued by many, and I’ve no doubt it will continue to develop.
“We are already thinking about the different ways the College may be able to build and sustain a relationship with our educational colleagues in Mainz.”
Sanjay Purohit, Inward Investment Manager for Watford, said:
“Germany remains an extremely important country to the UK in terms of trading, so this was a valuable opportunity for Watford companies to visit the region to discover what opportunities are on offer.
“We were delighted to have organised this initiative with our German partners, and this is an excellent start for us to initiate inward investment projects to Watford.
“With diligent follow up and progress, this visit can only lead to improved jobs, skills, and continued economic vibrancy for Watford.”
For further information about inward investment call Sanjay Purohit on 01923 442442.