8th – 10th May 2017
Inverness Chamber International recently led a delegation on behalf of Scottish Chambers on a highly successful trade visit to the Bavarian region of Germany. A total of ten businesses were involved in the visit on 8th – 10th May, with representation from three key areas: food and drink, life sciences, and renewables. Organisations participating included the University of the Highlands and Islands, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP.
The visit was a fantastic opportunity to find out more about business in the Augsburg region and the potential opportunities available for exploration. Meetings and company visits were hugely informative and of great interest; demonstrating the benefits of a shared vision between Bavaria and the Highlands.
Visits to IHK Schwaben in Augsburg and the Bavarian Ministry for Economic Affairs in Munich were of significant benefit to us, as a Chamber, and visits to the Riegele WirtsHaus and the Rewe and Karstadt shops were hugely valuable to many of the businesses involved. As well as building on the existing relationship with the Augsburg Klinikum, the visit also managed to incorporate an opportunity to explore renewable energy prospects; making it a varied but effective three days overall.
Speaking at the 18th National Economic Forum in Inverness on Friday 12th May, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recognised that Scottish Chambers of Commerce are ideally placed to help business trade globally. She said: “Just two days ago, Inverness Chamber led a delegation of Highland Businesses to Augsburg and Munich. This is exactly what I mean.”
Stewart Nicol, Chief Executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce added: “This is fantastic recognition for our visit, on a national level. We’re delighted that we were able to facilitate the trip and look forward to building on our Bavarian connections.”
This trade visit was Inverness Chamber International’s first ever international delegation and follows on from the Joint Declaration signed by the First Minister of Scotland and Ilse Aigner, Deputy Minister-President of Bavaria, in March, encouraging enhanced economic co-operation between the two areas.
