Copy
View this email in your browser

Mission to Israel, UAE, and Qatar Opens Doors for Utah Businesses

Over the course of four business days, the Utah delegation of 64 government, business, and community leaders participated in over 100 meetings during the governor-led trade mission to Israel, Qatar, and the UAE. To maximize their time in the region, and return value to the state, the delegation split into five tracks to enable them to take multiple meetings simultaneously, with many other smaller group meetings also taking place. The tracks were divided as follows:

  • Governor’s Delegation
  • Aerospace and Defense Delegation
  • Life Sciences Delegation
  • Interfaith and Community Engagement
  • Unified Economic Opportunity Commission

The connections developed during this trade mission opened doors to tremendous business opportunities for Utah in the Middle East. Of the many notable highlights, a Utah business received a verbal commitment from a strategic partner in the region to both make a major investment in the company and accelerate the company's growth in the region.

World Trade Center Utah and the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity partnered to organize this trade mission and would like to thank the many private and public organizations from the region and the United States that made this incredibly ambitious program possible, including the governments of the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Qatar; the U.S. Commercial Service, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Deseret Management Corporation, Zions Bank, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Greenberg Traurig.

Though the trade mission has concluded, much of the work is just beginning. To fully capitalize on every meeting, the delegation consolidates notes and action items from each meeting into living, working documents that serve as a repository to guide point-to-point follow-up. For those interested in diving deeper into these meetings, areas of follow-up, etc., we invite you to take a look at how we organize this effort. 

If anyone is interested in connecting with any of our partners in these countries, please let us know. Keep an eye out for additional information about a call we will host for any and all to hear from trade mission leaders as they debrief the meetings and share the many opportunities that exist for Utah companies and organizations across the state. Our commitment to all involved is to maximize the value created from these meetings and engagements.
Israel Recap & Action Items
UAE/Qatar Recap & Action Items

Learn More


If you are interested in learning more about this trade mission or upcoming trade missions, please reach out to WTC Utah's Jake Glenn at jglenn@wtcutah.com. 

Company Wins 🏆
Successes from the trade mission will be actualized in the coming months and years to follow, but there are a few big wins ready to share. Keep reading for more.

MENA Group

The Governor's networking reception in Israel resulted in two major opportunities for MENA Group, who left the reception with an order estimated at nearly a million dollars and an opportunity to represent a private-label business in Saudi Arabia. "We'd been communicating virtually and over the phone with a potential client, but the trade mission gave us the opportunity to meet in person — and with the clout of the governor and Utah delegation," shared MENA Group's Managing Director Jeff Holmes. 

Additionally, MENA Group was one of the Utah companies that met with Noon (the Middle East's homegrown online marketplace) and is anticipating a partnership.
 

Essence Ring

Though St. George-based Essence Ring is currently partnered with the Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts stateside, the trade mission provided the company with an opportunity to meet with Four Seasons Resort Dubai. Following their meeting, Essence Ring will provide the global luxury hotel brand with its compact essential oil nasal diffuser to be distributed to guests. To lock in this opportunity, WTC Utah's Global Business Services team will help register the company in Dubai and find them a strong distribution partner.

Essence Ring is also expecting partnerships with Noon and the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi as a result of their time and hard work on the trade mission.

In the News 🗞

Utah Trade Mission Led by Governor Spencer J. Cox Visits the United Arab Emirates to Develop Economic Partnerships and Joint Cooperation Projects —AP News

Utah looks to build on Abraham Accords, cement its ties in the Middle East —The Times of Israel

Governor Wraps Trade, Diplomatic Mission to Israel —KSL 5 News

Utah trade delegation explores new partnerships in UAE —UAE News

Natalie Kaddas and WTC Utah's Jacob Glenn talk Israel & UAE Trade Mission —ABC4

Recap of the Governor Cox's Trade Mission to Israel and UAE —"Inside Sources"

What can Utah learn from Dubai when it comes to preparing for the future? —UAE Times

Deseret News: An Insider’s Look at the Trade Mission
A six-part series by Natalie Gochnour, David Eccles School of Business Associate Dean and Deseret News contributor
 

Why this Middle East trade trip can make Utah the ‘Crossroads of the World’

Gov. Cox goes to Israel: Can we learn from the Dead Sea to save the Great Salt Lake?

What the Startup State can learn from the Startup Nation

A ticket to the future: Utah visits Dubai

What do vultures have to do with the Utah trade mission in the Middle East?

Utah’s Middle East trade mission: interfaith magic and collaboration
Copyright © World Trade Center Utah, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
World Trade Center Utah
60 E. South Temple #300
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.