THE Victorian delegation to the CeBIT Asia business technology fair in Shanghai generated more than $29 million in projected business in China, the state’s technology agency Multimedia Victoria has reported.
The 29 Victorian companies participating in the October mission to CeBIT Asia found more than 30 reseller and distribution partners, and secured more than 100 serious business leads, the Multimedia Victoria mission report said.
In the wake of that success, Hannover Fairs Australia (HFA) has already confirmed it will again take a delegation of Australian companies to the CeBIT Asia next year. HFA, the organiser of the giant CeBIT Australia ICT fair, is the local unit of global exhibition group Deutsche Messe AG, which runs CeBIT events worldwide.
Victorian Information and Communications Technology Minister Theo Theophanous said China was an important and fast-growing market for Victorian ICT companies. The delegation was supported by the Brumby Government’s ICT Trade Events and Export Assistance Program.
The Victorian Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Theo Theophanous, said it is the second year that the Victorian Government has led an ICT delegation to China and reinforces the State’s enthusiasm to forge partnerships in this lucrative market.
“Victorian ICT companies specialising in areas such as mobile technology, digital media, web development, eLearning and content management stood out, presenting their ingenuity to a global audience,” Mr Theophanous said.
“China is one of the largest emerging ICT markets and this trade mission has provided home-grown Victorian companies fantastic opportunities to build on previously formed relationships, open up new supply chains, gain new clients and network for future export opportunities.”
Since 1999, the Victorian Government’s Export Assistance Program has helped 480 Victorian companies on trade missions to 40 countries, generating $1.7 billion in projected exports.
While CeBIT Asia in Shanghai was the centrepiece of the Multimedia Victoria trade mission to China, it also included meetings and networking events in the Chinese business centres of Chengdu, Kunming, Beijing and Hong Kong.
Hannover Fairs Australia managing director Jackie Taranto said the Victorian Government’s long term view of building business relationships in China was paying off. Six companies involved in CeBIT Asia with Multimedia Victoria had returned to the event for their second year, cementing the business ties established at the 2006 event.
“Establishing ongoing exports links with partners in China can take time and patience, and it was great to see those Victorian companies returning to CeBIT Asia for a second time doing so well,’’ Ms Taranto said.
“Multimedia Victorian has built enormous expertise in the China ICT sector, and they run targeted and superbly professional trade missions. The long term commitment to the China ICT market is showing clear results, not just by generating exports dollars, but attracting inward investment from Chinese companies as well,” she said
China the Victoria’s third largest export market (A$1.8 billion in 2004-05) and largest source of goods imports (A$6.3 billion). Some of China’s largest ICT companies are represented in Victoria, including communications giants Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corporation, as well as consumer electronics makers Changhong Electric and TCL.
The Multimedia Victoria pavilion at CeBIT Asia attracted a stream of political and business leaders, including the vice-chair of the Shanghai People’s Congress Zhou Yu Peng, one of the most influential figures in the region, and California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, who led a US trade mission to CeBIT Asia.
Victorian software firm Business Intelligence Technologies participated in the CeBIT Asia trade mission for the second year, and reports significantly extending its China business.
“The trip presented challenging and unique opportunities for our products and services, and we are seriously exploring setting up a China entity,” said Raghu Iyer, founder and chief executive of Business Intelligence Technologies. “Attending CeBIT Asia as part of a government delegation – going with Multimedia Victoria – is definitely a help because it helps build a network of contacts.”
