The City of Melbourne is calling for expressions of interest from Melbourne companies, entrepreneurs, business owners and start-ups for the 2018 Lord Mayor’s Business Mission to China and Japan.
The call is open to a range of industries, including the built environment. The biennial project aims to establish trade and business relations with Asia, showcasing the best talent in Melbourne from the fields of innovation, sciences, urban sustainability and aviation.
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle AC will lead the mission to Osaka, Japan and Tianjin, Beijing, Wuxi and Suzhou, China from 21 to 30 March next year.
“This Business Mission will expose Melbourne companies to potential global investors and business partners by providing a foot in the door to the Asian market,” says Doyle.
“It’s not only about showcasing and building relationships with China and Japan, but more importantly about getting contracts signed and trade happening with Melbourne based companies.
“In recent years, the relationships and opportunities forged by Business Missions have delivered millions of dollars in trade and investment for Melbourne across a range of fields including biotech, urban design and planning, and education.”
Stephen Evans, director of Leffler Simes Architects, has established work with IKEA in China after being involved in the 2016 Business Mission.
“The Lord Mayor’s Business Mission helped us expand on our business relationships with IKEA here in Australia. We are currently designing two new stores for IKEA as part of their expansion into China,” says Evans.
“That’s allowed us to hire additional staff here in Melbourne and establish a new office in Shanghai.
“The City of Melbourne’s Business Mission team helped us by setting up meetings with numerous Chinese building developers and design institutes and as a result we’ve now signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) to enable us to co-operate and explore working together,” furthers Evans.
Applications for the 2018 Lord Mayor’s Business Mission close Thursday 30 November 2017 at 4pm.
When applying to take part, businesses will need to explain what they’d like to achieve by traveling to Japan or China with the City of Melbourne, along with the business’s competitive advantage and a short profile.
For more info, email global@melbourne.vic.gov.au.
Lead image, Beijing skyline by Sean Pavone © 123RF.com.
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