Carla Walker likes to dream BIG. As President and CEO of think BIG strategies, llc, she co-created the Economic Development committee for the Cincinnati USA World Choir Games, coming to the Queen City (along with 200,000 expected visitors) in 2012. In this week's blogs, Walker shares her insights from a recent trip to Shaoxing, China, where she attended this year's Choir Games, and brings back some lessons learned for Cincinnati's turn on the big stage in two short years.
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A model for friendship and for business
Posted By: Carla Walker
7/29/2010
There is a saying by JC Penny that "every business is built on a friendship."
Initiating friendships through an event like the World Choir Games allows us to build on a message delivery system that will already showcase Cincinnati. The role of the Economic Development Committee is to extend that message to business and government leaders and present what the region has to offer as a business destination.
In Changchun, our delegation spent the day with the leadership team of a company interested in opening its North American Headquarters operation. It has a small presence in Cincinnati but our visit was to encourage the leadership to select Cincinnati as its headquarters location.
How interested were they in learning what we had to offer? The meeting included their Chairman of International Sales, Chief Engineer, CEO of Sales, General Manager of Investment, Managing Director of R&D, Vice Chief Engineer and the Chairman/CEO. Then, we met with Mr. Ciu Je, the Mayor of Changchun. He was already familiar with Cincinnati because we will host the 2012 World Choir Games. We toured the plant. Spoke with employees. We talked about needs and interests. Over lunch, we shared stories about our different cities. We got their attention --- and they are interested.
Our visit to Hangzhou was just 14 hours - the shortest visit on the itinerary, but we made every minute count. We met with Mr. Wang, the Vice Governor of the Zhejiang Province. We talked about our Fortune 500 companies, sports, arts and education because of the Hangzhou residents enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. The city is worthy of another and longer visit. The Vice Governor was impressed and invited us to return for a longer trip so we could continue the discussion of how we might create deeper business connections.
In Shaoxing, we bonded with business and government officials as our cities have a connection through hosting the World Choir Games. To leverage that connection, the Economic Development Committee for the 2012 Cincinnati Games hosted a US-China Business Forum to educate attendees about doing business in Cincinnati and Ohio. The Vice Mayor of Shaoxing and Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory opened the forum. Forty attendees from around the Province, heard from our delegates and business representatives but they also heard from a Chinese business owner operating in Cincinnati. That testimony painted the best picture for the audience. If every business is built on a friendship, then word of mouth has to count for something.
In Shanghai, Changchun, Hangzhou and Shaoxing, the delegation wanted to show Cincinnati in the best light and make a favorable impression. We were successful beyond anything I imagined. We helped further relationships and created new friends. We expanded on the awareness about Cincinnati. If JC Penny's saying holds any truth, we built a stronger foundation for business development in China. As well, the Economic Development Committee for the 2012 World Choir Games can be a model for leveraging large events, like the World Choir Games, to attract business interest in our region.
On behalf of the Committee, I extend our thanks and appreciation to the members of the delegation for their time and for working so hard to help grow interest in doing business in the region. Our delegation had representatives from the City of Cincinnati, Duke Energy, Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce, Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Airport, Ulmer and Berne, SS&G, and Kolar Design.
The delegation was staffed by Committee Co-Chairs: Carla Walker, President of think BIG strategies, llc and Shau Zavon, President of the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce.