Preliminary Activities

Prior to the celebration of the Internationalisation Forum, the project envisages a preparation phase where a number of activities will be implemented in close co-operation between the promoter in Murcia region and the RDA partners in the candidate countries:

• Edition of Information materials on the main activities and purposes of the project.
• Marketing activities aimed at raising public awareness of the project in their business communities: i.e. acces to media, contacts with business federations and regional economic actors, newsletters, etc.
• Creation of a web page where contents of the project will be available and updated on a permanent basis.
• Preparation and dispatch of a Business Questionnaire aimed to highlight the practical implications of the enlargment process and to help companies and business organisations from Candidate Countries to review strategies for their incorporation to the enlarged European Internal Market.
• Edition of Country and Project reports on Questionnaires: on the ground of the feedback gathered from the enterprises, the partner RDAs will prepare a country report by summarising the responses; a Project report will assembly all the country reports.
• Promotional materials of partner regions will be collected from the partner RDAs for its later distribution during the International Forum.
• Dissemination of project information to other european networks or initiatives will enhance the visibility of the project , i.e.: EURADA, Euro Info Centre, Innovating Regions, ...
• Feedback from Ministries in Candidate Countries. National Ministries in charge of Internal Market in candidate countries will be also invited to provide feedback or comments in order to get a national perspective of the current situation in each country.

Internationalisation Forum

One of the main goals of partner RDAs is to develop a wide range of services and activities that foster the international strategic development of their respective business communities (notably SMEs) and facilitate cooperation with other companies abroad.

Instituto de Fomento has been organising once a year, since year 2000, an important event to support the internationalisation of the companies of the Region of Murcia. Thus, all the agents, institutions, managers and export companies in the Murcia region hold an Internationalization Forum, which serves as a unique meeting place for exchanging experiences and updating theoretical and practical knowledge on export trends and support tools.

By means of interviews with Business Promoters, attendance at lectures by specialists in international trade and participation in workshops moderated by entrepreneurial figures, participants gain up to date knowledge of dozens of activities related to international trade: insurance, logistics, specific markets, export methods and a broad variety of training and information. Participation of regional companies in this Forum has been growing in time, reaching more than 500 companies, 800 people and more than 30 exhibition stands in 2003.

On the basis of the successful performance of the previous International Fora over the last years, Instituto has envisaged to facilitate the participation of CEEC partner and invited organisations in the next edition of the Forum (22-23 march 2004), so both Murcian companies and CEEC delegates will be attending. As for 2004 event, the participation of CEEC delegates will provide a remarkable international dimension to the Forum on the eve of the formal accession; never before participation of international attendants has been so high and proved so added value.

The project foresees the participation of some 38 foreign representatives, 28 delegates of partner RDAs and 10 top public officials of the Ministries in charge of Internal Market in the candidate countries. A similar invitation has been also addressed to the Ministries in the Mediterranean candidate countries, that is to say, Cyprus, Malte and Turkey.

Day 1 - 22^nd March 2004

Participation of partner RDA and CEEC Ministries in V International Forum, Murcia 2004

As for the present project, one workshop will be specifically focused on the implementation and enforcement of the internal market acquis aimed at presenting to the audience the existing "business opportunities in the enlarged Internal Market". In particular, some key topics related to the enlarged Internal Market which are intended to be treated during this first day, among others:

• Free movement of goods and e-commerce
• Protection of Industrial property
• Product safety and liability for defective products

Regional Marketing (Exhibition stands)

In paralell to the training sessions, a number of stands (over 30) will be installed to dinamise the Forum. The objective of these meeting-points is to put in touch regional companies that are interested in developing their activities in foreign markets, with regional, national and international institutions, governmental bodies and private entities, which can help the companies in their internationalization process.

The Forum organisers will facilitate an stand duly prepared and equiped for each one of the candidate countries attending the Forum. That will permit RDA and Ministries´ delegates to have the opportunity to make exhibition and promotion of their regions and organisations, to show promotional materials as well as to have bilateral contacts with Murcian SMEs and organisations interested in their country. This has been considered as a "regional marketing" approach for CEEC regions.

Day 2 - 23^rd March 2004

Institutional and Business Promotion

The Institutional and Business Promotion Offices is constituted as an integrated network at world level, being used as a tool for regional marketing of Murcia in 17 geographical markets of 5 continents, as well as a support instrument for regional companies willing to start or consolidate their export activity, favouring their entrance in new international markets with a reduced economic effort. Around 600 Murcian companies have used such a Service since its creation in 1993. This Services is ISO 9000 accredited and permanent offices in CEEC are located in Warsav (Poland), Prague (Czech and Slovak Republics), Budapest (Hungary) and Stockholm (covering Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia).

In the framework of the present project, bilateral contacts with the directors of Instituto’s offices for CEEC will be concerted in anticipation so as to improve the contacts and partnership between CEEC RDAs and Instituto, enhancing thereof the visibility and best practices of european organisations actively working in CEEC, etc.

RDA Benchmarking session

A private work session with different departments of Instituto will be organised. This session will aim to facilitate RDA benchmarking and exchange of experiences on different models of RDA management and will be more precisely centred on on a number of matters in which RDAs are very much concerned, such as regional marketing, attraction of foreign investments, SME support, export promotion, management of EU Structural Funds, etc.

Day 3 - 24th March 2004

Practical study visits

An agenda of study visits will be prepared to organisations which represent best practices in the key topics related to the enlarged Internal Market, i.e.: the Community Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market, the National Spanish Technology Centre for Canned Food Processing, examples of virtual commerce and e-business, and others.

DRAFT AGENDA AND MORE DETAILS OF THE FORUM WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON ON