As part of the ‘Trade with Ukraine’ project, Ukrainian trade associations and their member companies were given targeted support to take part in trade fairs in Germany and Europe with their own exhibition stand. The aim was to strengthen the presence and competitiveness of Ukrainian companies on the European market. A total of six trade fair stands were organised: at the International Motor Show (IAA Mobility), the International Sweets and Biscuits Fair (ISM), the International Toy Fair, CosmoProf, the International Food and Drink Events (IFE) and the London Wine Fair. In total, more than 60 companies in their respective sectors were brought into contact with players from the European market. sequa's measures included trade fair preparation, the organisation of the stand, targeted matchmaking with potential customers and support in the follow-up process after the trade fair. These measures proved to be extremely effective: excellent results were documented in the evaluation of both project phases.
Thanks to the project, Ukrainian companies have been able to establish more than 1,000 valuable contacts and have already concluded 50 supply contracts with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies from Germany and Europe. These contracts mark an important step for the economic integration and expansion of Ukrainian companies on the European market. Also around 200 talks have turned into serious negotiations, so that further business deals can be reported in the near future. The project also brought Ukrainian companies closer together and intra-Ukrainian business deals were concluded. In addition to these major economic successes, there were also numerous smaller successes to report. Thanks to the e-learning programme in the run-up to the trade fair and the intensive coaching, many companies were able to expand their knowledge of the European market. For example, a toy manufacturer from Ukraine realised at the toy fair in Nuremberg that the colour selection of their toys did not meet the tastes of European consumers and therefore changed their colour palette.
These successes show that, despite the current challenging conditions and the difficult political and economic situation, Ukrainian companies are very resilient and very capable of serving European customers.
The successes of the project are motivating and the planning for a further project phase is already in full swing. With the experience gained from the previous phases and the proven co-operation with Ukrainian partners, sequa is confident that the next steps of the ‘Trade with Ukraine’ project will also be successful.
