A delegation of business, economic development and governmental officials from the United Arab Emirates will be in Indianapolis beginning Sunday. The visit, hosted by World Trade Center Indianapolis, will focus on boosting economic ties between the state and the Middle Eastern nation. WTC Indianapolis President Doris Anne Sadler told Inside INdiana Business international visits like this will attract additional visits. Interest in this event, she added, has already sparked meetings with officials from Cyprus.
Sadler said lots of companies with a presence in Indiana already do business in Dubai and beyond. The areas of most interest for the delegation include the aerospace, automotive, agricultural science, bioscience and information technology industries. She says larger companies like Allison Transmission Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ALSN) have could use the visit to bolster existing business interests or smaller companies could use it for a foot in the door for new partnerships.
“It’s always important for people to have face-to-face meetings,” Sadler says. “When you meet face-to-face and you create those relationships, the opportunity for expanding business is so far superior and so that exchange of actual personal relationships and meetings is incredibly important for expansion.”
The 14-member delegation from the UAE includes representation from the Dubai government, Dubai economy, foreign direct investment, exports, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington D.C., U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council and Emirates Airline Group.