Have you always wanted to know more about the added value of participating in trade missions? Or what the roles are of ministers and the royal couple when they attend? Or about what the most important success factors and pitfalls are when doing business with the 2nd export market of the Netherlands, Belgium?

In today’s broadcast of BNR Nieuwsradio Wereldveroveraars  host Jelle Maasbach is interviewing TRANSFER.LC’s CEO and mission specialist Gerald Baal. The interview is about next week’s climate technology trade mission taking place in Brussels and about the usefulness of these missions. Ambassador Pieter Jan Kleiweg de Zwaan is a special guest during the broadcast, as the host of the mission and as his embassy was recently chosen by entrepreneurs as the best Dutch embassy worldwide. Additionally, Tim Van Iersel, avid mission participant and owner of Fotolight, shares his experiences during said trade missions.

Listen to the broadcast above.

Main takeaways:
A trade mission increases the chance of good contacts for entrepreneurs, even if they have been doing business in the target country for years
The chance of good contacts is increased with the presence of administrators and/or the royal couple
A good embassy/consulate, RVO, trade association and matchmaker play an important role, also in a neighbouring country like Belgium
Some people may speak the same language in Belgium, but the way of communicating is certainly different from ours
Belgium is not only our second export market, it is also a nice stepping stone to the 6th largest economy in the world: France

With the right approach, the contacts eventually become contracts.