“The IBF’s role is in matchmaking and facilitating,” explained Mr Jop Thissen, Project Manager at event organisers NBI International. “The forum aims to help Dutch firms find the right markets and investment opportunities abroad, while enabling embassies to promote economic activity in their respective countries.”
By Joe Ray.
Diplomats and businesspeople convened in Hengelo on 27 October for an afternoon of networking and investment promotion at the 14th International Business Forum (IBF).
The annual event matches companies with embassies to promote cross-border investment and support international trade.
The well-attended event was based on a selective networking format, resulting in a highly targeted forum featuring some 150 one-to-one meetings between embassy representatives and prospective investors from around the Netherlands.
Guests at the World Trade Centre Twente included several ambassadors and numerous embassy trade officials, together with a variety of Dutch business figures interested in outbound investment opportunities.
“It’s important for us to highlight the investment opportunities in our country,” commented His Excellency Mr Tadeous Tafirenyika Chifamba, Ambassador of Zimbabwe, who had travelled from Brussels for the event. “This forum gives us a real opportunity to identify areas of interest for Dutch enterprises either looking for outward investment opportunities or marketing their products.”
One notable success story from IBF 2016 was the news that Dutch company Aircrete would be investing in a major new plant in Argentina – a USD 20 million project facilitated by the Embassy of Argentina in The Hague whose investment manager was present in Hengelo to help seal the deal.
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Photos courtesy of NBI International.
