Dubai, UAE, 5 – 6 April 2019: The World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) in cooperation with Andreas Dressler held the second course as part of the FDI Excellence Series in Dubai. It focused on practical aspects of identifying, contacting and engaging with potential investors.

The course covered key aspects of successful investment attraction and facilitation, including:

  • Developing a go-to market strategy focused on specific target sectors and geographic markets.
  • Different channels for reaching investors, from setting up international offices to organizing roadshows, and their relative effectiveness.
  • Identifying potential investors based on research, industry contacts and other sources.
  • Approaching investors for the first time and building a relationship with decision makers.
  • Conducting due diligence on potential foreign investors as part of a thorough qualification process.
  • Providing support to investors at different stages of their decision-making process.
  • Using IPA’s services and support to differentiate the location and win investments.
  • The course brought together 22 participants from across Europe, Africa, Asia and Middle East who had a chance to learn from the leading investment promotion agencies and FDI experts and hear on the first hand experiences and best practices.

Hassan Mohalal, Director Investment Development at Dubai FDI showcased how Dubai FDI provides support to potential investors and works closely with other government agencies to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated approach to investor facilitation. Said Haddad, Vice President, EMEA Ethicon at Johnson & Johnson shared his insight into J&J’s activities in the Middle East, the company’s decision to invest in Dubai and the role of governments in supporting the company’s investments.

Furthermore Simon Lacey, Global Government Affairs- International Trade and Investment Risk Mitigation Lead at Huawei Technologies shared his valuable insight into how one of the world’s largest technology companies makes location decisions for new corporate facilities, including R&D centers and assembly plants. In this session participants were able to explore the link between Huawei’s strategy and global location footprint as well as the company’s views on what IPA’s should – and shouldn’t – do to attract investment.

Karen Fernandes Jones, Chief Operating Officer and Ludmilla Figueiredo, Senior Investment Analyst at Apex Brasil talked about how Apex-Brasil approaches FDI attraction, including the agency’s overall strategy, interaction with other ministries and the role of its foreign offices and the step-by-step process once a potential investor is identified. Last but not least, Federico Tabja, Chief of Staff at InvestChile discussed the agency’s approach to attracting new investment to Chile. This includes the selection of target industries and priority geographic markets as well as the different methods that the agency employs to generate results, including foreign offices, roadshows, participation in specialized industry events and the Investment Forum in Chile.

The training provided participants with the know-how knowledge and skills they need in order to successfully compete for investment projects using different business development methods and tools.