International Trade Services

Trade Promotion

The International Trade Centre is a first-stop shop for local businesses wanting to learn more about international trade generally, and about specific world markets. Where appropriate, we shall refer companies to more specialist sources of support, such as UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).

To complement the advice and guidance, which is largely re-active, the International Trade Centre runs market awareness seminars on specific markets, and has organised seminars on Russia, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Balkans, USA and Canada, France and EU Enlargement. There is an ongoing programme of seminars, and details will appear from time to time on the Chamber's website. These seminars attract high quality speakers who have a detailed knowledge of the respective countries and of the conditions for doing business there.

The Chamber also runs a trade mission to North America, sometimes to New England or Canada, and according to demand. Hampshire County Council has an Accord with the State of New Hampshire to develop economic, tourist and cultural ties, and New Hampshire is an ideal gateway to the United States for most types of business. Such missions are very cost-effective and usually include a high proportion of matchmaking, whereby the local host - normally the state government's international trade department - tries to match visiting businesses with local customers and/or partners. The Chamber's last UK trade mission was to Quebec in Canada.

These promotional events, whether seminars or trade missions, are often held in co-operation with a local partner such as Hampshire County Council or UK Trade & Investment.

The international trade services of NHCCI are used mainly by Hampshire businesses, but we also have customers from outside the area.

In fact, although NHCCI's main operating area is determined, on the one hand, by Hampshire's borders and, on the other, by agreements with neighbouring Chambers, there is a lot of co-operation among the local Chambers and Business Links to ensure that clients get the best service available, and that there is no unnecessary duplication of effort on the Chambers' part. This co-operation is also evident in the International Trade Forum.