Scottish entrepreneurs forged new transatlantic connections, boosted brand awareness, and developed business links with US firms during a successful trade mission to New York.
A range of Scottish-based and owned companies from across Scotland joined Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce President Lynn Harris and her team for a packed four-day trip to the city during Tartan Week 2023. This was part of the Scottish Chamber Networks global trade plans, designed by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce enabling many local Chambers to lead with support for small and medium sized businesses explore new exporting and importing opportunities. This is part funded through a unique partnership formed between SCC and the Scottish Government.
A full schedule gave delegates first-class opportunities to create meaningful collaborations and support the transatlantic relationship between the US and Scotland which flourishes thanks to the efforts of the Scottish diaspora community in New York.
The trade mission included a legal advice session providing vital information for Scottish businesses operating in the US; a `Meet the Scottish Maker’ event for delegates to highlight their products and networking opportunities with business owners, representatives from VisitScotland and Culture Secretary Angus Robertson.
There was also a cultural dimension to the trip with Tartan Week social festivities and the chance to march through Manhattan as part of New York’s world-famous Tartan Day Parade.
Annie MacDonald, co-creator of `Stories of Scotland’ – an award-winning podcast which explores Scottish history – was part of the delegation.
She made useful connections with a wide range of businesses and valued the opportunity to highlight the podcast to an international market resulting in one show increasing downloads by 25% as a direct result of the participation in Tartan Week.
She said: “The opportunity to exhibit at different occasions was priceless and offered us a platform to share our passion for our Scottish history podcast with America!
“Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce shared meaningful connections with us from their pre-existing and rapidly growing New York network and Lynn and her team were great advocates for the whole delegation supporting each business depending on our goals.
“We wholeheartedly recommend the Chamber to any business seeking to expand their horizons, establish valuable connections and explore new markets.
“Their unwavering commitment to supporting the Scottish business community is truly commendable, sharing the innovative spirit of Scottish entrepreneurs with the American market.”
The trade mission was the second organised by Lynn Harris who hopes to take a third delegation to the city next April.
She said: “We aimed to bring the best of Scotland across the Atlantic and once again we achieved that goal thanks to the ambitious business leaders who joined us from across Scotland.
“We were able to build on the connections and relationships we forged last year to give delegates a full and diverse itinerary which they appreciated and made the most of.
“The highlight for me was the number of exhibiting opportunities we were able to secure showcasing the businesses in front of a huge variety of organisations and giving them the chance to promote Scotland’s heritage and their products and to develop fruitful trade links.”
She added: “We’ll soon be ready to start planning for next year’s mission which we aim to make even bigger and better as we build on our success and ensure our excellent business relationship with New York and the US continues to blossom.”
Belinda and Matt Murphy, co-founders of Highlands-based company Mackinnon Watches, were among the trade mission delegates and said the trip brought “significant value” to their firm.
They said: “Our praise for the organisation and delivery of the trade mission is profound. The events were meticulously arranged and optimised to ensure the best use of our time.
“The size of our delegation was ideal, fostering a warm and intimate atmosphere which allowed for meaningful conversations and networking.
“The trade mission’s biggest advantage to us was three-fold: networking with potential partners, boosting our brand awareness and setting the stage for future collaborations. The trade mission brought significant value to our business.”
The other businesses attending the mission were textile firm Britton Scotland, giftware company WeeBox, PJH Consulting and FLUX Solutions.
Delegates arrived in New York on April 14 and took part in four full days of events including the chance to exhibit their products and services at the Business Reception organised by the Scottish Business Network, a VisitScotland Diaspora Showcase and the annual Ceilidh run by the New York Caledonian Club.
Dr Liz Cameron CBE, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, praised the success of the mission. She said: “This mission demonstrates our growing partnership between Scottish Chambers of Commerce Network and the Scottish Government. We set out to expand the number of local chambers leading on behalf of all of Scotland trade delegations throughout the globe. We will be setting off for Tartan Week again, it will be even bigger bringing together businesses from across every part of Scotland. Those interested, need to sign up quickly to what will be a fantastic B2B collaboration with other global Chambers. We want to build on these relationships with the outcome to sell the excellence and products of Scottish business.”
