SwedenpromopageJan12

You are invited to join the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance (GTMA) and partners from the Regional Municipality of Durham and Norditrade on an extra-special Business Mission to Sweden, Denmark and The Netherlands on the theme of Sustainability and the Environment/EN2: Energy and Environment. Come with us for the entire trip or pick the module that you wish to participate in. Benefit from the contacts and experience that you will gain from this extra-ordinary program.

Let the GTMA and its partners open doors for you and take you to see and witness some of the world’s best examples of a sustainable future. Whether you are interested in meeting business leads and prospects or simply wishing to learn where you fit into the sustainable future that the world is talking about, this GTMA’s Business Mission is for you.

Join in the unique experiences and highly profitable meetings that are planned:

This trade and investment mission from the Greater Toronto Area to Denmark, Sweden and The Netherlands will focus on “Sustainability and The Environment”. All three European countries are among the leading countries in the world in this sector.

While emphasis will be on the area of sustainability and the environment, companies in other business sectors are also encouraged to participate. By participating in this business mission you will have the opportunity to benchmark your company and organization against the leaders in the field, plan for the introduction of your products and services on the European market, or you are looking for other trade opportunities.

The Mission is developed in modules. A first group, led by Durham Regional Chairman Roger Anderson will start in Copenhagen, Denmark, and travel by executive bus and high speed train towards Stockholm, Sweden via Malmö and Linköping. Meetings and presentations will be arranged in all four cities.

Upon completion of the Mission in Stockholm, the participants in this group have three options. They may

A third possibility is to only visit The Netherlands. This group will depart Toronto on June 16 and spend a week in The Netherlands, returning to Toronto on June 23. Meetings and presentations, similar to those in Sweden and Denmark, will be arranged in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Almere, Rotterdam and The Hague.

Scandinavia and The Netherlands are generally considered to be among the most competitive economies in the world. Well-trained work-forces, quality oriented, high standard of living and a willingness to embrace technological change make Denmark and Sweden very interesting markets for international companies. Both countries are members of The European Union. However, both have elected not to adopt the Euro; instead keeping their respective currencies. The Scandinavian countries are also considered world leaders in sustainable developments. District energy is very common in most urban areas. Various waste management practices are used to limit the need for landfill sites. These techniques include energy from waste and biogas production as well as ambitious recycling programs. There are plans to lessen the dependence on fossil fuels. At the same time, all these activities are made under the most stringent environmental requirements.

There are a number of similarities between Canada and the Scandinavian countries, e.g. climate, standard of living, life-style, and industrial sectors. Many of the activities that take place in Scandinavia can be transferred to Canada. At the same time, the Scandinavian countries offer many opportunities for Canadian firms that want to compete with the leading companies in the world. In general, the Scandinavian market is very open to international companies. There is a willingness to try new products and services. English is widely spoken and understood. Ethics are very high in any business relationship. In short, Scandinavia is a great gateway for North American companies interested in entering Europe. Canadian firms will find Scandinavians customers knowledgeable, demanding, and quality-oriented but also open to new products and services. They also tend to be pragmatic and loyal, once they have gained trust in a supplier.

The Netherlands share the interest in the environment and sustainability with the Scandinavian countries. The meetings and activities in Holland will build on the contacts from previous missions to The Netherlands by groups from the Greater Toronto Area, including a visit last year by representatives from the Durham Region.

The objective of the Business Mission to Sweden, Denmark and The Netherlands is to

(tentative outline; dates and cities are fixed, specific study-visits may change)

Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark. Over one quarter of the country’s population live in the Copenhagen area.

The city is the financial, cultural and academic centre in Denmark. After the completion of the fixed link (tunnel and bridge) to Malmo, Sweden, the Oresund region has developed into one of the fastest growing regions in northern Europe. This is particularly true in the research and development field where universities and companies in both countries cooperate closely.

With over 300,000 inhabitants, Malmö is Sweden’s third largest city. It is the regional centre for Scania, the most southern part of Sweden. The completion of the fixed link – tunnel and bridge – between Malmö and Copenhagen has resulted in tremendous growth for the combined Oresundsregion. Many international companies have established their Nordic or Swedish head office or distribution centre in Malmö, taking advantage of the easy access to international travel thanks to Kastrup, the international airport in Copenhagen.

Linköping is one of Sweden’s fastest growing cities. Currently, the city has 140,000 inhabitants. It is the regional centre for the province of Östergötland. Linköping has a diversified economy with manufacturing, including aircraft manufacturing, retail, education and research, food, administration and health care. Its university is particularly strong in the fields of natural sciences, technology, social sciences and medicine.

Stockholm, a city of 1.2 million people, is the capital of Sweden. One is always close to water in Stockholm. It is often referred to as The Venice of the North. Furthermore, the water is clean. It is safe to both swim in the water and eat any fish one catches.

The political developments of the last ten to fifteen years in the Baltic region have made Stockholm a logical choice for foreign companies that want to establish a Baltic base. Stockholm is also the financial and corporate centre for Sweden. The city is also centre for R&D activities in IT, medicine and bio-technology.

Within an hour from Stockholm is Uppsala, Sweden’s oldest university town, to the north; and Södertälje to the south. Both Uppsala and Södertälje have leading bio-technology and life-science industries. Södertälje is also home of Scania, the truck and bus manufacturer.

With 130,000 inhabitants, Västerås is Sweden’s sixth largest city. Located about an hour west of Stockholm, Västerås is a regional administrative centre for the province of Västmanland. The city is also home of world leading companies focusing on manufacturing equipment for process control, automation, logistics and industrial IT. The emphasis on R&D is further strengthened by the recent establishment of a university in the city.

What the GTA and the Netherlands have in common is their high density and related environmental pressure partly caused by surrounding regions. This requires intelligent solutions to deal with all sorts of environmental problems. In the case of the Netherlands, it forced Dutch policy makers and private parties to cooperate. Through years of cooperation and experience, the Netherlands is now considered one of the leading countries in the field of waste management, soil remediation and renewable energy, such as energy from waste or biological materials.

Furthermore, the Netherlands has a tradition of high-class architecture and urbanism. Over the last two decades sustainable buildings have played a prominent role in the Dutch building industry. More recently entire neighbourhoods have become the focus for sustainability.

The Netherlands is a strategic distribution and logistics centre of Europe with a pro-business tax system, excellent infrastructure and a highly flexible and productive workforce. In addition, the Netherlands is Europe’s most multilingual country, and 75% of the Dutch population (approx. 16.3 million) speaks English.

More than 7,000 foreign companies have operations in the Netherlands (about 95 Canadian companies), where the costs of living, housing, education and cultural activities are lower than most European countries. According to a recent Dutch Chamber of Commerce Survey, the business confidence index is at its highest level in 20 years. The new 25.5 % corporate income tax rate will improve the investment climate and is lower than the national average for the EU-25. The Netherlands was a founding member of the European Union and participated in the introduction of the Euro.

During the visit to the Netherlands, the 4 largest cities in the country, namely Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht will be visited. These cities are all situated in the western part of the Netherlands, where approx. 8 million people live. Sustainable building, renewable energy, energy reduction and soil remediation will be the focal points during the visit to the Netherlands. Depending on the composition of the participants, specific municipalities and the Ministry of the Environment and Energy may be visited as well.

Participation is by invitation and will be limited on a first-come-first-served basis. Participation in the mission is open, but not limited, to representatives from companies, all levels of government, universities and other educational institutions, organizations and trade associations with an interest and involvement in the field of green energy and sustainability in the Greater Toronto Area. Your level of participation can be for any or all of the program elements, depending on your interests and the amount of time you wish to take. You might also have other business that you may wish to undertake independently before, after or in-between cities. We will be flexible to work with your interests and needs in this regard. The GTMA is a non-profit organization and requires participation fees to help defray the costs to organize this mission, cover common expenses and to make it as seamless as possible. These include: costs related to ground transportation, hosting receptions, presentations, overall coordination ,organizing meetings and introductions to businesses, development of collateral materials and delegates brochure, gifting, reporting, long distance communications and couriers, among other coordination and logistic activities aimed at making your visit to Sweden, Denmark and The Netherlands a complete success.

Note 1: A $1000 deposit will hold your spot on this mission. Payment in full is required by May 21, 2007. There will be no refund on the deposit after May 21, however transfers are possible and applicable to those items, which permit it. Note airline fees and hotels may not be possible to transfer. We will be producing a Delegates Brochure and guaranteeing hotel rooms, flights and other arrangements for the group that require this deadline.

Note 2: A waiver will be required to be signed confirming your participation which will allow us to process payments on your behalf.

Note 3: Additional delegates can join after May 21, but there are no guarantees for meetings, inclusion in Delegate Brochure, etc. with late participants.

Note 4: : It is recommended that you consider taking out medical and cancellation insurance, upon securing flight arrangements, if required. GTMA will not be responsible for cancellation of flights or for medical emergencies abroad.

Platinum: $10,000

Gold: $5,000

Silver: $2,500

1. Delegate’s Brochure Sponsor: $5,000

2. Welcome Dinner co-sponsor: $1,000

International Marketing
Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance
25 Adelaide Street West, Suite 811

Copenhagen, Malmö, Linköping, Stockholm, Västerås, Amsterdam

Platinum: $10,000

Gold: $5,000

Silver: $2,500

1. Delegate’s Brochure Sponsor: $5,000

2. Welcome Dinner co-sponsor: $1,000