A Sample Business Tour:

The Fresno County (CA) Express

Fresno, California, is a global center for agricultural and food processing technologies needed in China’s national program to feed its huge population and meet exploding consumer demand for quality processed foods. Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson, recognizing the regional potential for providing China with agricultural and food-related products and technologies, led a series of trade missions there on behalf of his city and regional economy.

Marketech China organized the missions, beginning in the Fall of 1995, and placed particular emphasis upon the importance of the mayor’s participation. In China’s evolving economy, mayors are highly regarded as persons of significant power. For this reason and due to the presence of a US mayor, during the 10-day tour the delegation was received by nine Chinese mayors who had gathered 100 business executives from companies interested in agricultural and food processing technology. In short, the mayors of China can jump start the process of identifying qualified joint venture partners and obtaining project financing.

From the start, Marketech China tightly structured each day’s events in China. Morning sessions included general discussions with local government officials and company executives, afternoon sessions were usually limited to company executives in the agriculture and food processing industries and one-on-one discussion of particular initiatives and potential projects.

These meetings in Shanghai, the Yangtze River Delta, Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta produced the first in a series of agreements currently valued at $1.5 million a year in sales for Fresno’s agricultural and food processors. While the presence of a mayor may add clout, it is not a requirement for a successful outcome to a business tour. Marketech China's government contacts at the national, provincial and local levels will provide the basis for a quick start for your China business project.