Firms revel in success of trade mission: business leaders return from Atlanta with promising leads.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Guy Labine signed up for a spring trade mission to Atlanta just hoping to scout out the southeastern United States and drum up some new business opportunities for Science North Enterprises.

But a bit of research on his pre-arranged American contacts, and some phone calls placed prior to the late-April trip, enabled him to return to Sudbury with a $120,000 (US) contract in hand.

The multimedia exhibit division of Science North signed a contract with Atlanta's Fernbank Science Center to lease their Jane Goodall exhibit for three months in 2004.

"We had already been in discussions with them and during the mission we were able to finalize a contract," says Science North's director of business development.

Science North Enterprises was one of 18 small- and medium-sized businesses and post-secondary institutions from across the North that participated in the joint North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce and FedNor-sponsored Team Northern Ontario trade mission to the southern U.S.

Delegates were dropped into the heart of one of the fastest-growing regional economies in the U.S., which provided them with access to invaluable face time with some high-profile players from the Atlanta business scene.

"It was a very aggressive and condensed time frame," describes Labine, a first-time Atlanta visitor.

"I was only there for three days and I met with (officials from) eight organizations."

Part of the criteria for the six-day mission required participants to fill out a company or organization profile, which was forwarded to an Atlanta consultant assigned to pick out potential partners for one-on-one matchmaking sessions.

Labine says the format was a real time saver.

"It would be very difficult to co-ordinate and source out who those companies are, and who I should meet with," says Labine, who conferred with officials from area zoos, aquariums and museums.

"The marketplace in the U.S. for our products and services is a wide range from museums to corporate visitor centres, and everything in between."

Though not able to provide details of his confidential discussions, Labine says "there are several organizations that have expressed an interest in the type of work that we do and the services we provide. The timing was good."

Already a group from Science North is scheduled for a return trip to Atlanta in late summer or early fall as result of opportunities he identified.

"The idea will be to flesh out the opportunities to the point of having either a...