Best Practices for EU SMEs Participating in a Machine Tools Exhibition in China – Marketing and IPR

In preparation for the EMTE-EASTPO Machine Tool Exhibition Shanghai 2014, the EU SME Centre, the China IPR SME Helpdesk and the European Association of the Machine Tool Industries (CECIMO) are jointly organising a webinar to help EU SMEs in the sector get ready for China.

Exhibitions in China are a great opportunity to promote EU products, gain valuable exposure, meet relevant business partners, and find a way into a thriving market. SMEs participating in an exhibition can gather comprehensive information about the market quickly.

However, because SMEs are often facing the challenge of a limited advertising budget, maximising the effectiveness of their entry into the market is key. Preparation is essential not only in the area of marketing but also regarding intellectual property rights (IPR), particularly in the area of high-tech machine tools. This webinar will help you cover eventualities and issues in both, IPR and marketing, to ensure that things run smoothly right from the start.

Join this webinar to learn more about the IPR and marketing aspects of joining an exhibition in China:

IPR

• Before the exhibition: fail to prepare, prepare to fail
• At the exhibition: be pro-active, not reactive
• How to file a complaint at an exhibition
• After the exhibition: act on the information you have gathered

Marketing

• Preparation work
• Official pavilions and how to get financial support
• At the exhibition
• Useful websites and links

Attendance is free for EU SMEs and intermediaries such as chambers of commerce or trade promotion agencies.

About the Speakers

Valentina Salmoiraghi holds a Master Degree in Law – International Institutions – from Bocconi University, Milan (Italy), and a Masters Degree in Law from University of Barcelona. After working for one year for a leading international law firm in Milan she started her practice on Chinese law in 2007 working in Beijing with an Italian law firm advising Italian and European companies on Chinese-Foreign direct investments and IP matters.

She was in charge of the coordination of the law firm’s China Desk and has also been appointed Chair of the SMEs Focus Group of the European Chamber of Commerce in China – Beijing Chapter – before joining the China IPR SME Helpdesk as IP Expert in August 2013. Valentina specialises in Europe-China cross border investments including IP rights, corporate, contracts and alternative dispute resolutions for companies engaged in several industries. She focuses on IP protection, licensing and franchising, as well as IP enforcement.

Stephanie Heydolph received a Masters in Chinese Studies from the University of Hamburg. Her university thesis covered international trade fair organisers in China. She worked for Messe Muenchen International GmbH in Munich and Shanghai for several years. Mrs. Heydolph permanently moved to Asia in 2006 and worked for Global Sources based in Hong Kong, promoting a sourcing exhibition for two years. Since 2010, she is Chief Representative of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) based in Beijing and leads a team of 15 employees in two locations.

Stephanie Heydolph will provide a list of preparation activities for SMEs when attending trade fairs as an exhibitor in China. She will highlight the country specifics and will share her long-standing experience with trade fairs in China.

You can find the recorded video on Youtube: