16th meeting of the Bavarian foreign representatives

MUNICH   Bavaria is one of the most efficient economic locations in the world. Foreign trade is a vital pillar of the Bavarian economy. Largely saturated domestic markets and high costs in the development of high-tech products force Bavarian companies to become active on foreign markets as well. The Free State of Bavaria has its own foreign representative offices in over 20 countries important to Bavaria's export economy, in order to support Bavarian companies as they tap into foreign markets. These countries include China, Brazil, Japan, India, Russia, the USA and the United Arab Emirates. "Our foreign representatives are the first point of contact abroad, especially for small and medium-sized Bavarian companies. They provide the companies with advice on issues surrounding market entry and support them as they build up business relationships. We are therefore smoothing the way for Bavarian companies to make the leap into promising and significant sales markets. We must not forget that our industrial companies earn one in every two euros abroad," said Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs, Ilse Aigner, on the occasion of the annual meeting of Bavarian foreign representatives, this year held from 11th to 14th February 2014 in Munich.
 
Aigner: "The representative offices founded in Chile and in the southern Chinese location of Shenzhen in 2013 have already done outstanding setup work over the first year. I see high demand for technology and infrastructure in the South American countries, while southern China offers increasing potential for our small and medium-sized companies, for Bavaria as an investment location and, last but not least, as a holiday destination."
 
This evening, the Minister of Economic Affairs, Ilse Aigner, has invited the participants to a "Foreign Trade Evening" in the Kaisersaal at Munich's Residenz. This will offer companies, multipliers, representatives of the consular corps in Bavaria and actors in foreign trade an opportunity to speak to all the foreign representatives.
 
But the representative offices do not just make an important contribution to promoting Bavarian foreign trade. They also carry out active location marketing for Bavaria. Together with the business promotion agency 'Invest in Bavaria', they contribute significantly to shaping Bavaria's profile as an international business location. "They gain potential investors abroad and support them from the moment they begin considering expansion to the time they settle in Bavaria," explains Aigner.
 
Companies interested in export can find all the assistance offered by the Free State of Bavaria and its partners at www.aussenwirtschaft-in-bayern.de.