Before we get into what the SelectUSA Summit is all about, let’s hear from two New Zealanders who travelled as part of U.S. Ambassador Brown’s delegation to SelectUSA Summit 2019.
Melissa Gollan, Founder of RipGlobal – USA Select Summit attendee 2019:
“What better team could you travel to the USA with than the USA Embassy home run hitters lead by the amazing Ambassador Scott Brown.
Ambassador Brown was able to open doors at the Capitol building, and with two days notice I was riding in the elevator escorting by Legislative Correspondent Joe Marinelli, we hopped on the under ground subway and were whisked off to Senator Carpers Office to showcase our NZ built globally patented automated expensing solution which eliminates fraud and delivers 100% spend transparency. A topic close to the heart of Senator Carper, as Congress have recently legislated to eliminate credit card fraud.
Not only did we get an amazing tour of the West Wing, the tour included an impromptu meeting with the President of Poland, who introduced himself to the New Zealand delegation.
By chance, we experienced a glimpse of the might of the USA aerospace sector, with a White House flyover of the latest stealth bomber which bought Washington DC to a standstill as this incredible machine did a flyover across the city.
We were invited to present to the State Government of West Virginia, where the office of the auditor is actually a political position. The area of state Government spending is actually voted on the taxpayers. This sharpens the focus around internal spend budgets and waste. West Virginia will be piloting our solution, which will significantly help reduce waste of tax payers money and improve procurement systems. For a small (but smart) tech company from Wellington NZ to have this kind of opportunity would not have been possible with the great work of the USA Embassy in NZ.
The size and appetite of this ferociously competitive market is breathtaking. If you have a world-beating product, the confidence and drive to take it to the market, the is no end to the size of the opportunity in a country committed to delivering growth and prosperity for their people.”
Roman Jewel, Founder of Fix & Fogg – USA Select Summit attendee 2019:
“Attending the Select USA Summit was a great experience and a worthwhile event for Kiwi businesses seriously considering entering the US market. The Summit generated a number of credible investment and growth opportunities for our business.
Some of the relationships we created at the Summit have directly resulted in our business becoming operational in the United States. “
So what is SelectUSA and the SelectUSA Investment Summit?
SelectUSAis the U.S. Department of Commerce-led program to promote and facilitate business investment into the United States. Since its inception, SelectUSA has facilitated $45.5 billion in client-verified investment, creating and/or retaining tens of thousands of U.S. jobs.
SelectUSA’s mission is to facilitate job-creating business investment into the United States and raise awareness of the critical role that foreign direct investment (FDI) plays in the U.S. economy.
SelectUSA helps companies of all sizes find the information they need to make decisions; connect to the right people at the local level; and navigate the federal regulatory system. SelectUSA also assists U.S. economic development organizations to compete globally for investment by providing information, a platform for international marketing, and high-level advocacy.
The SelectUSA Investment Summit promotes the United States as the world’s premier investment destination and connects qualified foreign firms with U.S. economic development organizations (EDOs) to facilitate business investment and job creation.
The Investment Summit draws high-caliber attendees to help you make connections and get started on business deals:
- EDOs on site to share business location
intelligence. - Pre-vetted potential investors actively
seeking business opportunities in the
United States. - Relevant service providers that can help
investment possibilities become
realities.
C-Suite executives and government
officials who can discuss the latest policy
and business trends.
The Investment Summit is also an informational platform to learn about the U.S. business environment, industry trends, and new opportunities.
New Zealand companies expanding into the United States will find a stable and welcoming market. We understand there are many set-up decisions to make. The annual SelectUSA Investment Summit is a forum to help New Zealand companies with their U.S. expansion plans. The Summit comprises of a speaker agenda; several exhibit floors and opportunities to network with economic development representatives from U.S. states and territories, service providers (e.g. companies offering tax advice) and companies including venture capitalist organizations.
Ambassador Scott Brown will lead a New Zealand delegation to the 2020 SelectUSA Summit scheduled to take place June 1-3 in Washington, DC. For further details about the Summit and joining Ambassador Brown’s delegation, please contact Janet Coulthart via email: Janet.Coulthart@trade.gov.
More about the SelectUSA Summit can be found at- selectusa.gov/selectusa-summit.
Tweets from this year’s Summit:
The @SelectUSA Investment Summit is the highest-profile event dedicated to promoting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States. @USAmbNZ lead an impressive Kiwi business delegation to the Summit & helped promote United States as a business investment destination 🇺🇸🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/ZL4AD9Y0jy
— US Embassy NZ 🇺🇸🇳🇿 (@usembassynz) June 12, 2019
Great to be with the 🇳🇿 delegates at the @SelectUSA Summit Pledge Signing Ceremony. Also at the ceremony w/ @IvankaTrump & @SecretaryRoss alongside many Ambassadorial colleagues helping promote the United States as a business investment & trading destination 🇺🇸🇳🇿 #SelectUSASummit pic.twitter.com/6SPYM4IEkh
— Kevin Covert 🇺🇸 (@USAmbNZ) June 12, 2019
On the back of the #EvisaUSNZ launch I’m in DC leading an impressive Kiwi business delegation at @SelectUSA Summit (a @CommerceGov led initiative that has facilitated ~$50billion in investment since inception). 📸 includes @NZAmbassadorUS Rosemary Banks & part of the 🇳🇿delegation pic.twitter.com/MQZzTu3qVf
— Kevin Covert 🇺🇸 (@USAmbNZ) June 10, 2019
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