Governor Walker to lead delegation on trip to Germany, France, Spain

MADISON, WI. March 10, 2015 – Wisconsin businesses have until Friday, March 13, to register for an April trade mission to Europe being led by Governor Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).

The trade mission to Germany, France and Spain will take place from April 12-20. During the trip, each participating company will have scheduled individualized meetings with companies whose needs or capabilities align with their company’s exporting objectives—whether the meetings be with end users, distributors or other market intermediaries.

The Wisconsin delegation will travel to Hannover, Germany; Bilbao, Spain; and Montpellier, France—all cities located within regions that are economic bright spots in Europe.

The trip will kick off with a visit to the Hannover Messe Trade Show, which focuses on industrial automation and machinery and draws companies from around the world. The group will then visit Bilbao, Spain. This area has the highest per-capita income of any Spanish region, and has long been a center of manufacturing, and business and government leaders are eager for trade relationships with U.S. companies.

The final segment of the program takes place in Montpellier, France, a city located in an area that has focused on building a critical mass of companies in the water and clean technology sectors. This region is also highly active in the food and beverage and aerospace sectors. Governor Walker will not take part in this stage of the trip.

The cost for a company to attend the entire program is $6,200 per person. Participants may also choose to attend only part of the program at a reduced cost.

This subsidized cost includes market research, business matchmaking with potential partners, hotel accommodations, group briefings, transportation within and between the program cities, two group dinners and interpreters as needed. Participants must pay for their own round-trip airfare to Europe, as well as most meals and hotel accommodations.