As AmCham Romania's commitment to building stronger ties with local communities across the country grows steadily, this October marked a new milestone for our regional outreach programs, with the first trade mission to Western Romania.
Between October 26 and 27, we visited Timișoara and Arad to meet with local decision-makers, encourage new exchanges within our business community, and visit a few AmCham member companies with significant investments in the region. The trade mission also served as a platform to learn about local investment priorities and form new ties with business peers and, hopefully, future partnerships.
The trade mission included companies active in the banking, constructions, consultancy, energy, healthcare, IT&C, legal and professional services sectors, as well as representatives of the Commercial Service of the U.S. Embassy in Romania.
The program featured a blend of public – private dialogue, business networking opportunities, site visits, and a cultural evening at one of Romania’s most remarkable Art exhibitions currently open to the public. Delegates thus had the chance to explore the local economic landscape and gain insights into investment prospects, while also enjoying ”Timișoara – European Capital of Culture 2023”.
Bellow are the highlights of our two-day trade mission to Western Romania.
Public – Private Dialogue – The first half of day 1 was dedicated to meeting high-level local officials for discussions about the local regulatory environment and available investment incentives in the region.
Key local decision-makers that our delegation met with include Dominic FRITZ, the Mayor of Timișoara, Alin NICA, the President of Timiș County Council, and Mihai RITIVOIU, the Prefect of Timiș County. Each of them shared their own thoughts on the opportunities and challenges for companies looking to expand to Western Romania, as well as the investment priorities of their respective institutions.
Networking Opportunities – Day 1 continued with a local networking session that brought together the delegates, leaders of AmCham member companies in the region, and other relevant local stakeholders, most notably Sorin MAXIM, the General Director of the Regional Development Agency – West.
Local Engagements – The second half of day 1 focused entirely on exploring the local business ecosystem on site visits at AmCham member companies that call Timișoara home: Amazon Development Center, Iulius Town and Coca-Cola HBC. Delegates not only had the chance to learn more about the activity and investments of these companies, but also to better understand the economic outlook in the region and hear from their peers about development plans, business opportunities, and growth prospects in Timișoara.
Site visits also featured on the agenda of day 2, with stops in Arad, at the Greenbrier AstraRail wagon manufacturing facility and, back in Timișoara, at the brand-new Global Software Development Hub opened by Hamilton Central Europe.
We hope that these new B2B connections brought valuable information on emerging market trends and will open the doors to future collaborations between our member companies.
Cultural Immersion – In addition to business-related activities, our delegates were also treated to the ”Timișoara – European Capital of Culture 2023” programming. On the evening of October 26, the delegation visited ”Brâncuși: Romanian Sources and Universal Perspectives” on display at the National Museum of Art in Timișoara and were fortunate enough to meet and talk to the President of Art Encounters, one of the co-organizers of the exhibition.
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For more details on AmCham Romania’s regional outreach initiatives, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Manuel Cazac, Programs Manager, at mcazac@amcham.ro.
