Digital Mission to New York '09 - FAQ
Digital Mission to New York '09 is organised by Chinwag and supported by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and Winston & Strawn.
The aim of the mission is to help support UK digital companies to expand internationally, understand foreign markets, attract investment, find partners and develop business relationships.
This page should help answer any frequently asked questions but if not, please drop us a line.
1. When is the Digital Mission to New York?
The Digital Mission runs from Sunday, 15th November to Friday, 20th November, 2009.
2. What do I need to do to confirm my slot on the mission?
To confirm your slot on the Digital Mission, you'll need to:
- Complete payment of £650 plus VAT (£747.50 @ 15%) contribution towards costs - you can pay using any major credit or debit card except AMEX, please contact us for details
- Send across your company asset form so we can make sure your details are listed on the Digital Mission website ASAP
If you're not able to come along, we'd be grateful if you could let us know as soon as you can, so that we can contact the companies on the waiting list. Naturally, they’ll be keen to find out ASAP so your speedy response will be most welcomed.
The cut-off time to confirm your slot on the Digital Mission is Thursday, 7th October at 10am after which time, we'll offer the slot to one of the companies on the waiting list.
3. What does the contribution towards costs cover?
The contribution towards costs is £650 plus VAT, which includes:
• Marketing and PR before, during and after the mission
• Masterclass: Doing Business in the US
• Access to established New York digital networking events and groups
• Investor networking breakfast
• Evening reception at the British Consulate New York
• Access to Web 2.0 Expo / Conference
• More actvities and full schedule TBC...
The activity page will be updated as events and timings are confirmed. Once the Digital Mission companies are confirmed, the programme will be further tailored to reflect their aims.
4. How many people from my company can I take on the Digital Mission?
There is space for one person per company only on the Digital Mission and this person gets access to all of the above. If you'd like colleagues to come to New York, that's absolutely fine (it's a cracking travel deal after all!) but please bear in mind that there will be some sessions where only one delegate per company can attend.
5. How much will my flight and accommodation come to?
A wide variety of accommodation is available in to suit all budgets in New York although it's a pretty pricey city.
Our travel partner Expose Travel have put together a cracking deal for the trip, with all flights, airport transfers and hotel coming in at approx £1441 per person. To take advantage of this deal, you'll need to contact Paul Vasdev ASAP - the price may go up if you leave it too late plus by booking as a group, Paul is able to get very good rates.
If you would like to sort out your own travel and accommodation, that it absolutely fine, please be aware that transport to and from the airport will leave from the main hotel.
Travel bookings don’t have to be made through Expose Travel, but their insider knowledge and contacts may prove useful.
6. Why should I come as part of the Digital Mission?
The Digital Mission is an excellent opportunity for those actively looking to break into the US market, meet resellers, raise PR and investment stateside or open an office, plus much more.
To answer the question, you could absolutely arrange a similar trip on your own but this would take time and would undoubtedly cost a lot more cash. By working as a group and using UKTI's and Chinwag's excellent contacts, we can make a much bigger impact in New York during a week when digerati from all over the US are in town for Web 2.0 Expo.
7. Who else is going on the Digital Mission?
We’re in the process of confirming all the companies and the full list will be up on the website ASAP. We'll also spread the work through a press release, various blog posts, social networks etc.
For an idea of how it'll look please see a similar page for the companies that attended the Digital Mission to LA & San Francisco '09:
The promotional band wagon runs on a diet of company logo's, bios, Twitter feeds and confirmation towards costs - without these, it can't start it's magical work ;-)
8. Who is behind the Digital Mission to LA & San Francisco?
This Digital Mission to New York is organised by Chinwag and the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and is generously sponsored Winston & Strawn who also work their legal magic into the Masterclass session.
9. I have other questions, who should I speak to?
If you have any other questions please contact Chinwag's Event Assistant, Juliet Nwekenta or Head of Production, Emily Fisher on 020 7183 2923 or email us on mission
chinwag [dot] com
10. Do you have any Digital Mission bling for my blog?
Indeed there is, check out the Digital Mission press and blog page for links to pictures, and the Union Jack logo:
This page will be updated with new press releases and there's also a handy one paragraph blurb about the Digital Mission suitable for copying/pasting.
If there's anything else you'd like to see, do get in touch.
11. How can I help?
Getting the most out of a Digital Mission is in the hands of the people who come along. If you have contacts at companies in the US that you'd like to meet or if you know US press or industry bloggers who would be interested in coming along to the consulate receptions, we'd love to know. If you can make an introduction, even better.
The digital community in New York is vibrant and fast moving and many eyes are better than one pair, so if you spot things we should know about, please let us know about them.
