uk trade & investment

Following the recent announcement of the UKTI Trade Mission to South by South West (SXSW) Interactive 2011 (10th-15th March), there's some rather good news for digital firms based in London who need a helping-hand to take part in the mission.

The marvellous people at UK Trade & Investment London have announced that they have secured 10 grants of up to £500 (tbc)  available for digital companies based inside the M25. This contribution towards the costs of going can be used towards travel and accommodation expenses of taking part in the UKTI SXSW mission.

It's January, the days are short. The rain is lashing down. Yes, it's that time of year when digital folks minds drift towards Austin, Texas and the massive annual gathering that is South by South West Interactive.

Last year over saw over 14,000+ delegates from 54 countries attend 450 conference sessions and this year promises to be bigger than ever. Alongside the interactive conference, there's also SXSW Film and the legendary SXSW Music festival.

SXSW (or South-by to those in the know) has some form as a trend-setter, it's credited with helping Twitter really take-off. Ditto with FourSquare. What'll it be this year?

It's a unique experience, an a great opportunity for UK digital firms to meet the broadest possible audience from the US digital industry, and from across the globe. 300 Brits made the trip last year and there'll certainly be a large number heading West this time around.

Supporting these UK digital firms, UK Trade & Investment are organising a trade mission to SXSW, including:

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2011 is the world’s largest professionals-only game industry event. GDC 2011, taking place between 28th February and 2nd March, commemorates its 25th edition and serves as a testament of how far the industry has come and as a celebration of its bright future.

UK Trade & Investment are supporting UK firms attending GDC with two sessions providing an opportunity to connect with leading US publishers, understand the trends in the US market and showcase their wares to an international audience.

It's almost time. Business cards are being discovered at the back of stationery cupboards, bags are being packed, presentations are being honed, dry-cleaning is being collected (actually, that reminds me...)

This weekend representatives of the 19 companies selected for this year's Digital Mission to New York will be heading across the pond for a packed week taking understand the US market, networking, briefings, meetings and more.

If you find yourself in New York next week - OK, so it's not likely you've dozed off on another flight and ended up there, you probably know already - the Digital Mission group will be out and about at various events. Why not swing by and say hello:

19 of the UK’s top digital companies have been selected in a fiercely competitive process to join the third Digital Mission to New York from 1st-5th November 2010, forging new business and showcasing British digital talent.

Organised by Chinwag and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), the Digital Mission to New York provides the ideal platform for the companies attending to make business connections, build international profile, understand the US market and discover the practicalities of setting up shop in the US.

The Digital Mission companies are:

• Adversion
• Amaze plc
• BrightLemon Ltd
• Casual Films
• Cube
• Eresponse Media
• HuzuTech
• Lingo24 Ltd
• Livestation
• Nuji
• Plancentric
• Realeyes Data Services Ltd
• Red Glasses
• ShoutEm UK
• Thrive Digital
• ustwo
• Videojuicer
• Waspit Ltd
• We Are Social

A full list of companies with descriptions and contact details is available on the Digital Mission website: http://digital-mission.org/nyc10-companies

In under a week some of the UK's leading digital firms will be making the trip to the Big Apple for the third Digital Mission to New York.

The week takes in a heap of activities designed to bring companies up-to-speed on the US market, make heaps of introductions and take in the full intensity of the ad:tech NYC Expo.

For those taking part in the Digital Mission, and anyone travelling to the US from the UK, the forms for immigration have changed in the last couple of months and it's now obligatory to complete the snappily titled Electronic System for Travel Authorization for (or thankfully, ESTA form).

Thinking about expanding your business to the Big Apple? There's been heaps of interest in this year's Digital Mission to New York (1-5 Nov) so we've extended the deadline until Friday 8th Oct.

This trip, the third to New York is timed to coincide with ad:tech New York, the biggest gathering of digital media and marketing types in the city, with 10,000 visitors expected and 290+ exhibitors confirmed. The Digital Mission companies will have access to the UKTI stand, plus Exhibit Hall passes included in the trip.

Over the last five Digital Mission trips, it's been a privilege to work with some of the UK's leading digital companies. Getting the chance to spend a week away with people who are taking the scary, but exciting, journey of expanding their business into the US is a great way to really understand what makes entrepreneurs tick.

So, it was rather humbling last week, when we announced the third Digital Mission to New York (deadline's Fri, by the way), to see these tweets from Digital Mission alumni @kierondonoghue, @mr_mcd and @stuartbruce...

Together with the London and New York teams at UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) we're delighted to announce the third Digital Mission to New York taking place 1st-5th November 2010. The trip is time to coincide with the Big Apple's largest digital marketing conference, ad:tech New York.

Alongside a hectic programme of events including an official British Consulate reception, there's a masterclass, networking events, company tours plus stand space at ad:tech along with access to the keynote sessions.

Top UK Firms Selected for Prestigious US Digital Mission

PRESS RELEASE: London, UK, Thursday 21st January 2010

Forty of the UK's leading digital SMEs have been selected for the second annual Digital Mission to South by South West interactive (SXSWi), one of the world's leading conferences for interactive media taking place in Austin, Texas from 11-17th March 2010. Established in 1994, the conference provides an opportunity for the Digital Mission companies to attend hundreds of conference sessions and networking events.

The successful companies were chosen from over 120 submissions by an advisory board of industry experts drawn from the UK community including: VC's, export specialists, legal experts, journalist and industry pundits, to take part in the Digital Mission to SXSWi.

The companies selected for the Digital Mission to SXSWi '10 are:

• Amberlight
• Audioboo
• Blueleaf Digital
• Brainient
• Codegent
• Codility
• Cube Interactive
• Face Group
• FreshNetworks
• GigLocator
• Howard Baines
• Illumina Digital
• KMP Digitata
• Likecube
• Little World Gifts
• Littleloud
• Mendeley
• Mobilized
• MOFILM
• Moonfruit
• MusicMetric
• Nsyght  
• oneDrum
• Orange Bus
• PageDo
• Pixeco
• Plug-in Media
• Qhub
• Rummble
• Silence Media
• Skimlinks
• Slicethepie
• Smidgn
• SubHub
• TweetJobs
• UberVu
• Vibio
• Videojuicer
• Wolfstar
• WorldTV

Detailed information and contact details for each company is available from the official Digital Mission website: http://www.digital-mission.org/sxsw10-companies

The massive stimulus packages used by governments around the world to head off the financial crisis seem to be working their magic, with a light smattering of positive economic stories.

But what are the opportunities for digital SMEs? How does a small firm take advantage of the opportunities of global trade? A series of 12 free workshops across the UK will help firms understand the opportunities as well as provide insight on how to take advantage of them.

It's official, the final date on the Digital Mission UK Tour is completely full, sorry.

It promises to be an interesting evening, with a run-down of last year's Digital Mission trips to the US, experiences from previous mission attendees, info and insight from UK Trade & Investment. Not forgetting a word or two from the Sun Startup Essentials colourful-shirted, Stewart Townsend, one of the legendary Bootlaw-duo, Barry Vitou from Winston & Strawn, who are generously supporting this year's Digital Missions.