After getting some good sleep Wednesday night, and feeling more human, we had our first meeting of the day, with the foreign trade and services lead, in Stuttgart with the Industrie und Handelskammer regional office. This organization is the Chamber of Industry and Commerce helping companies in the area. One of the other meetings that day was with a medical company with a sales office in Indiana and inquired if and when they may have a bigger presence.
Friday brought great weather once again and we drove to meet with a manufacturer involved with the public transportation industry. The meeting was something you couldn't begin to script because no one would believe it. We sat down and told them about ourselves and who we represent and following our introduction, they asked if we had a bug in the phone system. Why? Because they are considering a presence in the US at this very moment and have been looking to Indiana as a possibility.
Upon hearing this, we immediately adjusted our schedule and spent the entire morning with them. We will definitely have follow-up communications with them in the very near future. A few more meetings were held in the afternoon, then it was a long drive to Augsburg for the evening.
Saturday morning brought about yet another great day and reminded me that we are definitely in Bavaria now. Many folks were in traditional clothing. Most heading for the train station and a quick ride to Munich's Oktoberfest, and others were just strolling through the Saturday market. I, on the other hand, was off to RenExpo at the trade fair centre. The show did not have a large wind or solar presence, but it was informative. We were able to meet extensively with one of Bayern International's managers. It was an excellent meeting, with him thanking us for the materials we gave him on Indiana in general and northeast Indiana in particular. He was grateful to now have points of contact for the businesses in Bavaria who have interest in the Midwest US.
Pictured Above: RENEXPO 2009
Our progress thus far during this trip has reemphasized the importance and productivity of participating in proactive foreign trade missions and I look forward to the results our new contacts will bring to northeast Indiana.
-Dale Buuck
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