January 10, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact
Dan Paulson, InVision Business Development
summit@growinchina.com
608-467-0223
MADISON, WI – “We’ve got to connect with that other global points of demand around the world if were going to have a prosperous and competitive future.” (Remark made 1/10/11 by Lee Swindall, director of consulting services for the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership to In Business magazine.)
Following the announcement from Governor Scott Walker that the Wisconsin Department of Commerce will be significantly restructured (or even scrapped) to create a new cabinet-level department focused on economic development, the business community is now in a wait-and-see position with regard to new departmental functions. In the meantime, In Business magazine has partnered with InVision Development International to launch a 12-day Executive Summit to China for Greater Madison businesses that may once have relied on Department of Commerce trade missions to establish overseas business connections.
“The China excursion is expected to be the first in a series of trips to many parts of the world to help expand Wisconsin business opportunities,” commented Jody Glynn Patrick, publisher of In Business magazine. “Our interest in the project is to expand our state’s customer base to spur job creation here. We can’t lose momentum in this state; we’re all working to help Governor Walker in his mission to expand economic development opportunities, and this is one way In Business can step up to help our great state with that.”
The Madison delegation will depart Madison on May 17, and return May 28, 2011. The trip price is all inclusive (hotels, airfare, meals, translators, meeting rooms, baggage tips, tour fees,, etc.) and has been adjusted twice already — both times downward. “This isn’t a money maker for anyone but the participants,” said Patrick. “Every time we score another sponsorship in China, we drop package rates.” When the Chinese hotel agreed to discount $400/night hotel rooms to $100/night, the trip price was dropped accordingly. “In the end, our success will be measured in the number of new relationships or jobs created,” Patrick said, “so we want as many Wisconsin business folks to go as possible. We’re doing everything we can in that regard.”
The Wisconsin delegation will visit and tour Beijing. However, the primary destination is Tianjin (China’s fourth largest port city with a population of more than 10 million), home-away-from home to many Fortune 500 U.S. businesses like Airbus and OshKosh. The group will tour the Tianjin Economic Development area and meet with officials from the Tianjin Free Trade Zone.
Before leaving for China, trip participants will be schooled in Madison on how best to interface with the Chinese culture. Dan Paulson, CEO of InVision, noted that after arrival in China “they will be paired one-on-one with industry-specific Chinese business leaders, with tour opportunities of comparable enterprises there.” That is key, he said, because they will be given insider guidance for establishing their own inroads or partnerships. “We’re not just talking about manufacturing; a hospital administrator will be paired with a hospital administrator, economic development specialist with their counterpart, and so on; we are matching every participant who wants the [complimentary] matching service to have the best opportunity to learn and to create their own global network.”
Paulson, who owns a strategy and organizational development consulting company, agreed to partner with In Business magazine on the project after opening a branch in China in 2010. “There are a lot of misunderstandings about what it means to participate in a global world,” he said. “We’re talking about opportunities to grow a business here by locating customers there. This isn’t about off-shoring jobs. My interest is creating a Wisconsin cohort doing business in China.”
The delegation will visit manufacturing plants, real estate developments, and healthcare facilities in Tianjin, and travel on the high-speed rail system from Tianjin to Beijing. The group will also attend summit meetings with executive Chinese leaders, who will explain the ins and outs of building infrastructure or networks. And what would a trip to China be without tours of The Great Wall and The Forbidden City? Those are included, along with free time built in for personal exploration of the region.
Travel requires a passport and current tetanus shot; InVision will help participants secure the appropriate visa. Spouse or partner packages are also available. Applications to join are currently being accepted. Complete information about the trip can be found online at: www.growinchina.com/summit. Questions regarding the trip should be directed toward Dan Paulson: summit@growinchina.com or 608-467-0223.
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About InVision Development International
InVision is a leader in the areas of strategy and organizational development, with offices in Madison and Tianjin, China. Dan Paulson is a strategist and speaker as well as a published author, and will be releasing his second book “Apples to Apples: How to Stand Out From the Competition” in Spring of 2011.
About IN BUSINESS magazine
IN BUSINESS magazine publishes a monthly business magazine and weekly e-zine (IBMadison.com) for the Greater Madison. IB also produces the weekday business radio program In Business with Jody and Joan on WTDY. Beyond print, it hosts business events and presents business awards such as the Commercial Design Awards.
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