The Enterprise Europe Network matches a UK developer of executive training courses with a Czech partner.
The Enterprise Europe Network matches a UK developer of executive training courses with a Czech partner.
In eastern England's Suffolk county, Simon Chater runs a professional training and coaching SME called JODA Training that offers management and personal development courses.
For help expanding the company's international profile, Chater turned to the Enterprise Europe Network, whose experts in more than 50 countries introduce SMEs to the most promising business partners abroad.
"One of the ways to do this is through brokerage events, pre-arranged transitional meetings held in a single venue for SMEs from across Europe," explains Network expert Mark Hofman of Enterprise Europe Network East of England in Welwyn Garden City.
Knowing his client's interest in expanding to Central and Eastern Europe, he invited the SME to Contact-Contract, an annual Network matchmaking event in the Czech city of Brno held during the main international trade fairs.
Lucy Horakova, a Network expert at the Brno Regional Chamber of Commerce who helped organise the event, set up a meeting between JODA and WIFI Czech Republic s.r.o., a franchise partner of Austrian education provider WIFI looking to expand its own offerings and client base. "We work hard to select the right partners and then assist clients during meetings if needed," she says.
Six weeks later, the SMEs agreed to cooperate. WIFI is now helping JODA Training reach out to prospective clients in the Czech Republic, where the companies may eventually offer intercultural business courses for Czech nationals planning to work in Great Britain. "Thanks to the Enterprise Europe Network, we have the opportunity to broaden the spectrum of our courses," says Martin Honsová of WIFI Czech Republic.
Simon Chater of JODA Training says he would recommend the Network to other SMEs. "The Network helps you find the best prospective partners in new markets," he says. "They do the hunting for you."