September 2012
LONDON – ITRA Global organized two outstanding panel discussions for “Doing Business in the Americas,” a premier all-day Symposium held recently at the Park Plaza Victoria Hotel in London, England. The invited audience included top executives from European companies, in addition to ITRA Global clients. Topics covered ranged from state and regional incentives to site selection factors and other key issues essential to successful business expansion throughout North America and Latin America.
Mark A. Stevens, Vice Chairman of the board of ITRA Global, and Principal of Boston based ITRA Global/The Stevens Group says the event was a tremendous resource for company executives who must navigate a significantly changed global marketplace. “The Symposium provided attendees with crucial information about changes in business expansion logistics and site selection factors in the United States, Canada and Latin America brought about by the challenging economy of recent years,” Stevens explains.
The distinguished Corporate Guest Panel was comprised of high profile executives who shared case studies and experiences relevant to today’s business expansion in the Americas, including property availability, build-to-suit, leasing versus owning, and more. The Symposium represented an opportunity for the executives on the panel to share their unique perspectives with attendees from Europe and around the world.
The Economic Development Guest Panel was moderated by ITRA Global Chairman Emeritus, Dr. Ronald Pollina,who also is the author of the “2012 Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-BusinessStates Study. ” The panel included top officials from the following government agencies in the Americas:
- Missouri, USA
- Pennsylvania, USA
- Ontario, Canada
- Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Panama
“The Economic Development Guest Panel covered such matters as transportation, labor, taxation, business-friendly culture, and many other regional differentiators hat company executives must consider when expanding to the Americas,” says Pollina.
Structured as a moderated forum, guests had the opportunity during the Symposium to ask questions during the panel discussions, networking sessions, and on a one-on-one basis with Economic Development officials and ITRA Global Site Selection experts via pre-arranged appointments. Also included in the day’s schedule was a networking luncheon and a cocktail reception to conclude the event.