Five SME's touched down in Amsterdam in early December, bringing to 17 the number of Northern Ireland companies who have completed Invest NI's Going Dutch programme in 2009 alone.
This number is over and above the 36 companies which participated in Invest NI's largest ever Dutch Trade Mission in February 2009. In total 53 companies over a 52 week period in 2009 shows clearly that Northern Ireland companies continue to engage with Dutch partners and clients.
Record growth in new business developed with the Netherlands through the programme shall be announced in early 2010.
The final cohort was similar in make-up to groups which visited the Netherlands in June and October 2009 with a wide range of sectors represented - only the weather was less kind and the days were long and dark. On arrival at Schiphol the participants were sensibly advised by Steve Murnaghan of NITC to wrap up well and be visible in the marketplace !
The 5 companies from Ballymena, Belfast, Carrickfergus and Omagh engaged in 31 individual sales appointments - averaging 6 per company - over the 3 day visit. Sectors represented included red meat, agricultural engineering, software, packaging as well as decorative and architectural glass art.
Spires Interior Solutions hope to hit the jackpot supplying the hotel and leisure sector in the Netherlands.
Quad-X meet one of Holland's leading quad distributors who shows an interest in distributing attachments for utility quads to the farming community.
MSO Cleland, leading supplier of printed sleeves and labels, shop for new private label business by meeting with half a dozen leading food processors selling into Dutch supermarkets such as Albert Heijn.
Ballymena Meats tours fresh meat importers and catering wholesalers with a requirement for high quality Northern Ireland beef and lamb.
Mindmill, supplier of pyschometric assessment tools, manages a final meeting prior to departure from Schiphol airport.
Going Dutch participants enjoy a relaxed meal in Amsterdam together after another long day on the sales trail.
The Going Dutch participants were delighted to return
to Belfast with live RFQ's, potential distributorships in place and
sales in the pipeline for 2010.
