News
OUTWARD MISSION
Saudi mission highlights many opportunities for UK fi rms
In January UKTI led a joint environment and water seminar mission to Saudi Arabia organised by Business to Business and British Water. The visit took in three cities, Jeddah,
Riyadh and Dammam, and was jointly led by UKTI’s International Business Specialists Jeremy Goad (water) and Craig Sillars (environment). The aim was to provide opportunities
for UK companies to enter the market. We talked to some of the delegates who attended the mission and asked them for their feedback.
Dr Yolande Herbath Director, BHR Group
“I spend a lot of time in the Gulf region but as a woman have avoided Saudi Arabia until now. However, the business case for going was strong and
we needed to follow-up on some client contacts we have there. “We also wanted to meet potential
new clients and it is important for us as a company to understand how the system works in Saudi and the mechanisms and procedures for the tendering/procurement process. “I chose this particular mission
because I know the staff at British Water and Jeremy Goad and felt more comfortable travelling to the Kingdom for the fi rst time within this group. I now have a clear understanding of the dos and don’ts and will be happy to travel alone in the future. “The best thing about the trip for
me was the level of exposure to companies at the Consulate receptions, particularly in Jeddah, where we secured £130,000 worth of orders.”
Steve Kingdon-Saxby Managing Director, SCL Water
“This mission exceeded my expectations at every level. We chose it because we had undertaken general research and believed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia presented us with a real opportunity to sell our products. In addition, I commissioned an OMIS report [from UKTI] that supported these initial fi ndings. “Best thing about the mission? The
quality of the OMIS report and the general organisation, including the pre- arranged site meetings, was excellent. However, for me, the sheer quantity and quality of interest from potential business partners was outstanding.”
Stephen Bates, Director of Communications, EnviroComms
“We had visited Saudi on numerous occasions during the previous 12 months but these trips related to a specifi c contract opportunity and were arranged independently. The mission gave us an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the nuances of doing business in this unique country and benefi t from access to contacts that we would have found diffi cult to gain ourselves. It was also a good opportunity to maintain and raise our profi le amongst those we had met previously. “We’ve attended numerous missions
Guests listen to a presentation in Jeddah
over the years and what stands out for us is the ability of the UKTI team to gather appropriate contacts together. EnviroComms operates in an unusual area of waste management and people from outside the industry often fi nd it diffi cult to fully grasp the unique nature of our offer. In Saudi, those
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