UKTI: The Emerging Europe Mega Mission 2016 – Poland, Czech Republic & Hungary

The Emerging Europe Mega Mission 2016 – Poland, Czech Republic & Hungary

Following the success of Mega Mission 2015 to Emerging Europe*, UKTI is organising the Technology is GREAT: Mega Mission 2016, a trade delegation of British companies to Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Whether your expertise is in Advanced Manufacturing, the Internet of Things/E-commerce or FinTech, this is your chance to meet your future business partners and explore the potential that exists in this exciting region (see overleaf for further details).

The Programme:

• 7th March: Delegates will arrive in Warsaw and have a scene setting briefing in the afternoon and networking opportunities in the evening.

• 8th March: A full day’s programme of seminars, one-to-one meetings and further time for networking.

• 9th March: Leave Poland for a day and a half in Prague or Budapest where a similar programme of business seminars and one-to-one meetings will be arranged. Advanced Manufacturing companies will travel to Budapest, Internet of Things/E-commerce companies to Prague.

• 10th March: The Mission will finish late afternoon / evening.

Who should attend?

UK companies with an innovative product or service that fits within or supports any of the following sectors in FinTech, Advanced Manufacturing and Internet of Things:

•  E-commerce / Retail
•  Automotive
•  Aerospace
•  Additive manufacturing
•  Universities, technology clusters, hubs & innovation centres

Event date:

7-10 March 2016

Participation fee:

£168 + VAT per person, including the full programme, lunches and networking receptions, but excluding flight tickets, airport transfers and hotel costs.

Next steps:

For a draft programme and an application form, please contact:

E: megamission2016@ukti-events.co.uk

T: +44(0) 117 906 4546

* Emerging Europe consists of the following 9 markets: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

UKTI reserves the right to decline registrations at our discretion

The Opportunity:

Emerging Europe, benefitting from more than £120 billion in EU Structural and Cohesion funding backed up by sizeable national investment, provides a wide range of opportunities for UK companies. The Mega Mission will focus in particular on four sectors:

Advanced Manufacturing (AM)

• Turnover in AM across the region is more than £150 bn.
• AM companies in the UK currently export £2 bn per year into Emerging Europe, but that’s only 2.4% of the total – there is huge potential to increase this proportion.
• The 44 automotive manufacturers across the region now produce more than 3.5 million vehicles per year, 21% of the EU total, and contribute approximately 10% to the region’s GDP.
• This scale has made the automotive industry of strategic importance: there is political support as well as access to EU funds for R&D.
• Aerospace: Turnover across the region is £2.7 bn and is experiencing double-digit growth year-on-year. Poland is one of the two largest markets in the region.
• Electronics: Turnover: £12.6 bn, including £5 bn in integrated circuits and £2 bn in electric motors.
• Machinery: Turnover: £23 bn; Poland is the major market for British exports, but Hungary is also growing fast.

E-commerce & the Internet of Things

• Very significant online populations: Almost 30 million internet users in Poland and the Czech Republic alone.
• We have seen huge growth in E-commerce in the last few years. E-commerce turnover in Poland and the Czech Republic is now very nearly £10 billion.
• In 2014, total B2C E-commerce grew at better than the European average (+13.6%) in both Poland (+21.7%) and the Czech Republic (+15.5%). Both countries are hotspots for e-commerce growth and are behind only the UK, Germany and France (source: European E- Commerce, E-Fulfilment and Job Creation, published by Prologis in October 2015).

• Modern e-based sales and distribution networks are well established in Emerging Europe.
• Strong economic forecasts for the future.
• The brand “British” is esteemed and associated with high quality.
• According to IDC Poland, "Transformation…through the Internet of Things is only just beginning [in Poland], but already numerous large business opportunities exist”.
• It is estimated that the Polish Machine-to-Machine (M2M) market is already worth £125 million; it is predicted to grow by more than 20% year on year.
• The Czech M2M market is also expanding quickly, with revenue climbing by 15% year on year in 2014.

FinTech

• Strong customer base – Poland has nearly 40 million increasingly affluent consumers across Emerging Europe as a whole.
• There is a strong banking sector in Poland.
• Apart from Vienna, the region’s leading financial centre is in Warsaw according to the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI).
• Based on the GFCI, Warsaw is now the world’s 38th most important financial centre, and is the fastest rising city in the Top 50.
• Close proximity to Frankfurt, Europe’s number 2 financial services centre.