Partner Article

Far East mission for software firms

REPRESENTATIVES of the North East’s software industry will travel 14,000 this month as they bid to break into one of the world’s most lucrative markets.

Sunderland Software City is to lead a week-long trade mission to China in the hope building new trading ties with the region and discuss possible joint venture opportunities.

The trip, organised in partnership with UKTI and One North East, gives local companies a chance to explore new markets and meet new customers.

Software City is the regional initiative supporting the growth of the software sector in the North East, where the local new media, games and software industry is now worth over £250m a year.

The initiative is also working to make the North East the location of choice for the international software industry.

“Our aim is always to go the extra mile, but on this occasion we’re going almost 14,000 miles in one week,” said Software CIty CEO Bernie Callaghan.

“The software industry truly is a global one – our website has been visited by people in 74 different countries in the last quarter alone – and the nature of the sector means North East software companies can provide their service to businesses in other countries just as easily as they can nationally.

“The key is offering the most effective and innovative products and the quality of the software coming out of the North East means we can compete on such a global level.

“China is a massive market, not just in terms of its sheer size but also in terms of its increasing economic power. This is a country which has been experiencing double digit economic growth while much of the world has been in recession”.

The trip takes in three stops in less than a week: Harbin, with whom the city of Sunderland has a friendship agreement; Nanjing, where the annual China Software Expo will be taking place; and Shanghai, the centre of Chinese trading.

The trip will not just see North Eastern companies selling their products and expertise, but the North East sold to Chinese companies as the perfect place to invest.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .