Ulster companies on Dubai trade mission

A TOP-level trade mission from Northern Ireland is currently inDubai seeking new business opportunities.The Invest NI-led group isspending 10 days in the Gulf states trading hub, which offers accessto a huge market for overseas companies in a wide range ofsectors.One of the delegate companies, MWM Sports Management Group ofHolywood, Co Down, is aiming to set up a perma nent presence in theUnited Arab Emirates.To aid its international business expansion, itis establishing a base in the Northern Ireland Technology andDevelopment Centre (NITDC) in Dubai during the trade visit.MWM isamong a group of 14 companies taking part in the mission, which isled by Bill McGinnis, an Invest NI board member and the chairman ofthe McAvoy Group of Dungannon. The mission is also taking in Qatarand Oman.MWM, which provides a range of specialist services includingcorporate hospitality, event management, business performancecoaching, sponsorship and incentive reward schemes, is locatingJudith Murray, a senior executive, at NITDC, which is housed inDubai's Internet City."Our decision to move into Dubai is the resultof extensive research to identify further opportunities overseas forour professional services," said Max Williamson, MWM's managingdirector."NITDC offers us an ideal service that gives us full officefacilities and an address in Dubai, as well as access to expertadvice on business procedures, requirements and contacts," headded.Alan Hingston, Invest NI's trade director, said the NITDCs wereestablished as a key element in Invest NI's strategic focus onencouraging more Northern Ireland companies to enter internationalmarkets."The initiative is producing tangible benefits for companiesand Northern Ireland. Companies located in the Dubai centre, forinstance, generated new business worth almost 30m over the past 18months," he said.Seven companies are visiting the region for thefirst time on the Invest NI trade mission, which runs until earlynext week.