E-Service

Contact trip to export markets

Open Target group: Active exporters who wish to familiarise themselves with a new export market; beginner exporters who possess export capabilities and immediate readiness to export their product or service.

Entering a new export market requires time, resources and commitment. Although much of the preliminary work can be done at home, the final clarity comes from visiting the market, getting to know the conditions there, and meeting potential partners or resellers.

It is most difficult for entrepreneurs to find suitable business contacts in the new target market. Here we can help in cooperation with our partners.

A contact trip is a service for getting acquainted with a new export market, which

  • helps the company to obtain primary business contacts in the destination country;

  • clearer knowledge of the opportunities of his product / service in a specific foreign market.

Euroopa Regionaalarengu Fond(ENG)

Goal

Results

The service consists of three stages:

Preparing for contact trip

  • A meeting between all participants of the contact trip, the organising team and a consultant will take place, during which everything pertaining to the contact trip will be discussed.
  • The consultant specifies the profile and goals of the Estonian business in relation to the country of destination and the contact trip.
  • The consultant for the country of destination begins looking for appropriate contacts for the entrepreneur.

Contact trip in country of destination

  • Individual meetings with potential clients (5).
  • Meetings are organised individually for each participant based on their field of activity and interests.
  • The goal of these meetings is to create functional business contacts as well as receive feedback on products/services and understand opportunities in the country of destination.
  • A programme in the country of destination supporting the objectives of the contact trip.

Follow-up activities

  • Entrepreneurs work on further developing their contacts.
  • EAS will contact participants one year after the contact trip to assess its usefulness to entrepreneurs.

Terms and Conditions

Main requirements for participants:

  • Clear export ambition tied to the chosen country of destination.
  • The business has a completed product or service that can be immediately exported.
  • The business has export capacity to enter a new market.
  • The business must have a correct home page (translated into English), which will act as a business card for the business abroad.
  • The business has no tax liabilities and is not a struggling business.
  • The business does not operate in economic areas excluded by the programme:
    • primary production of agricultural products as listed in ANNEX I of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
    • fishery and aquaculture, which is regulated by Regulation (EU) No. 1379/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council
    • manufacturing, processing and marketing of tobacco and tobacco products
    • organisation of gambling and betting activities

Participation

In 2020, EAS will organise contact trips to the following countries: Germany (three sector-based trips), Poland, Japan (to be confirmed).

Up to eight Estonian businesses can take part in European contact trips, up to five in contact trips in Asia.

The cost of a European contact trip for the entrepreneur is 700 euros (+ VAT) and flight tickets must be purchased by the entrepreneur. Asian contact trips have no participation fee; however, the participant must pay for their own tickets and accommodation in the country of destination.

Participating in a contact trip is counted as de minimis aid for businesses. De minimis aid is counted on the basis of businesses gathered in a contact trip group.

Tiina Tuisk
627 9443
tiina.tuisk@eas.ee

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