Canadian Communities invited to FDI Investment and Business Matchmaking Event on June 11, 2019

Smart Infrastructure Solutions for your Intelligent Communities

June 11, 2019, New York City: Mark that in your calendars. Better yet, register to be among those who will be able to benefit from the exclusive all-day economic development program to add real results to your attendance at the 2019 Global Intelligent Communities Forum Summit in New York. Interested in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)? Interested in making contacts and meeting leads and prospects that may be interested in your unique value proposition as a SMART21 or TOP7 Intelligent Community? Interested in meeting these SMART21 and TOP7 Intelligent Communities and their private sector partners? What can you expect at this event?

Communities and Attendees

On June 11, ICF has set aside a full day aimed at connecting your community to meet global leads that may be interested to look more closely at potential opportunities to invest in your community and perhaps in your start-ups; expand their operations; or establish a business in your community. ICF will pre-qualify leads in smart infrastructure and related applications targeting companies and organizations that may have solutions that your community may be looking for to assist in enhancing mobility efficiencies, parking solutions, LED lighting, or other street and intersection related solutions. Your community may be seeking applications related to supporting Autonomous Vehicles and Artificial Intelligence; or you may be looking for smart home and building solutions; or opportunities related to environmental sustainability and resiliency technologies. Other areas might include health and safety and security solutions; cybersecurity and solutions for the elderly. Perhaps your start-up ecosystem is looking to attract foreign companies at a soft-landing facility or your community is interested in attracting other communities to bring their business delegation to meet members of your business community in your region? There may even be new services and applications available at this event that we haven’t even thought of at this time. We will be inviting targeted leads to meet with community representatives, such as Mayors, economic development officials, CAOs and CIOS and any ICF Global Summit attendees that would be interested in meeting these business and investment leads.

Business Leads

If you are an established business or start-up offering products and services in smart infrastructure and unique solutions and interested in meeting communities from around the world that are interested in learning about your investment and business expansion needs, this is the event for you. ICF’s SMART21 and TOP7 Intelligent Communities will be attending as well as many other aspiring communities and their representatives from around the world. If you are looking to open a branch operation, establish a sales office for a business dealing with smart technologies and smart services of any kind, or looking to partner with or invest in local, agile startups and accelerators, ICF would be pleased to discuss how you can meet some of the specific communities that will be attending and what their needs and opportunities may be that will help you to meet your global plans and business targets.

Meetings will be pre-arranged matching the leads and communities and attendees with each other for meetings that will last for a minimum of 30 minutes each or more, as required. These meetings will be curated through ICF. Once a community, attendee or business lead is registered, their interests will be identified and matched prior to the meeting. Information about the community and the lead will be shared in confidence with the matched community representatives and the business lead. Confidentiality will be enforced. The contact names will not be shared until the lead and community are introduced at the matchmaking event. Only general information about the company’s industry sector and requirements will be shared, unless the lead allows further information to be disclosed. A meeting time and location at the ICF Matchmaking Day event space will be coordinated. ICF staff will introduce the community to the lead at the event at the appointed time.

It is recommended that follow-up conversations take place during the rest of the ICF Global Summit (June 12th and 13th) in New York as well as potentially afterwards. For instance, a visit to the local community by the lead afterwards or a visit to the company’s headquarters by the community representative may be a potential follow-up opportunity. The key is for follow-up communications and continued community and lead relationships to be developed.

In addition to the one-on-one private meetings between communities and leads on June 11th, they will be able to participate in a parallel business conference program that day that is specifically to help leads to learn about doing business in the countries and cities represented at the event, such as doing business in the United States, Canada, Taiwan or the Netherlands. Learn about acquiring work visas, spousal work restrictions and about local business taxes, and other legal requirements in these countries. Learn about available human resources, availability and quality of schools and housing as well as any incentives that these communities might offer. Hear from some of the leads about their unique businesses and from representatives presenting some recent case studies and success stories. During the event, we will also learn more about the Amazon HQ arrangement in New York and Arlington, as well as other unique projects around the world that investors may be interested in further targeting.

It will be a special opportunity for communities and leads alike. Confidentiality is promised for those leads requiring this special consideration. The goal is to make the introduction and help the community and your business succeed in your mutual requirements.

To register as a potential lead, please contact Matt Owen at [email protected].

To register as a community or attendee at the ICF Summit for the Matchmaking Day, see: https://www.intelligentcommunity.org/summit_2019