UBIFRANCE UK News

If you would prefer to receive press releases in plain text, please click here

UBIFRANCE UK News n° 22 - 18 June 2010

We have all heard about that Icelandic volcano whose name it is impossible to spell unless you happen to be from Iceland, and this geological and climatic cataclysm of sorts did have an impact on the team at the Press Office. Indeed, Melanie Wilzius, our Editorial Assistant from Vitrolles, a town situated between Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, had gone away for a week and ended up staying in south-eastern France for an extra seven days: instead of returning to London on 19 April, she did not make it back to the office till 26 April, by train (TGV and Eurostar).

Since Melanie was staying with her family in one of the nicest regions of France, and not far from the Côte d'Azur, I believe the ordeal was actually rather enjoyable. Other people were not so lucky, such as this client of ours who got cornered in the drab capital of an Eastern European state that will remain nameless for something like 10 days, away from family and friends, on a never-ending business trip, Groundhog Day-style. He did not tell me whether he drowned his sorrows in the widely available, locally produced vodka, which is one of that country's chief exports. Personally, I know what I would have done - got on a train out of town, that is.

Back in London, we have had several successful events and trade shows since the April issue of UBIFRANCE UK News, covering a variety of sectors, as usual - from wine (Champagne de Vignerons on 22 April) to IT and internet technology (with the French pavilions at Internet World and Infosecurity, between 27 and 29 April).

In May, Corsican wines were once more on the menu with a one-day B2B event held at La Trouvaille, a charming restaurant located in the West End of London, near Carnaby Street. The event (17 May) was organised by the Food & Drink Department of the French Trade Commission in London together with CIVC, the syndicate of producers that promotes Corsican wines.

In mid-June, together with the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain (CCFGB), the French Trade Commission organised a Nuclear Day for the civilian sector of the nuclear industry, and it was a great success, with Mr Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, French Ambassador to the UK, opening proceedings at the Institute of Directors on Pall Mall (in central London). This B2B event (15 June) enabled key players from the UK and France in the nuclear-energy sector to meet and explore avenues for co-operation. French expertise in the field is in demand in the UK right now, given the choices that need to be made regarding the country's future energy needs and how to meet them.

At the end of the month, the In-Store and Insight trade shows in London (29 and 30 June) will give our colleagues in the New Technologies Department the opportunity to showcase innovative companies from France in retail technology, marketing and services, from digital signage and display systems to in-store design and brand strategy.

At the Press Office, we are also in the middle of significant personnel changes. Estelle Atayi, project manager on a two-year contract, left the French Trade Commission at the end of May, and Pauline Bogacz, also from France, is our new project manager, who started at the Press Office on 1 June. Melanie, already mentioned, will finish her placement at the end of June. Last but not least, Kate Ambler, press officer, who has been with the Press Office for a record six years or so, has decided to leave us for personal reasons and in order to pursue other - intellectual and professional - interests. (In the photo, from left to right: Philip Jolly, Melanie Wilzius, Kate Ambler and Pauline Bogacz.)

We are in the process of recruiting a new press officer, and his (or her) identity will be unveiled very soon, if not in a press release to all the British media, then in the next issue of UBIFRANCE UK News. Most of you, no doubt, will have been in touch with the new press officer anyway, in the meantime: Kate will be finishing at the Press Office on 16 July. Some pundits have commented that Ms Ambler has timed it in such a way that she may attend the Bastille Day celebrations at the French Ambassador's Residence (on 14July) - a highlight in the social calendar.

Kate has been a dedicated, efficient, and reliable press officer for all those years, and, together with the rest of my colleagues at the French Trade Commission, we wish her well in the next stage in her life and career. Rumour has it that Kate is leaving the Press Office in order to join the Royal Navy, Portsmouth being her favourite English port. Others have assured me that she would like to work for the French Trade Commission in Sydney (Australia). Kate has neither denied nor confirmed any of those unverified reports, however.

Before I conclude this bulletin, I would like to encourage you to have a look at our new, revamped website, http://www.ubifrance.com/uk/. As you will see, it is in English and covers all the services offered by the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK, including the activities of the Press Office. UBIFRANCE is moving with the times, and there is a blog section, where you can post up comments and queries, and so on. Do not hesitate to keep in touch with us via the website, and it will be pleasure to hear from you.

The next bulletin of UBIFRANCE UK News will be sent to you around mid-September 2010. Till then, everyone at the Press Office of the French Trade Commission in London wishes you an enjoyable summer - without any volcanic dust, hopefully - and a good summer break, should you decide to have some time off in the coming months.

Philip Jolly

Manager - Press Office

Mission Economique UBIFRANCE, the French Trade Commission in London

Automotive & Aerospace

Business & Leisure

Food & Drink

Health & Biotechologies

IT & Security

Paper and the Environment

Automotive & Aerospace

Newsteo's Your-Tracker takes care of the goods
Newsteo, a specialist in wireless shock-and-temperature measurement, is now offering a new tailor-made development service called Your-Tracker. Your-Tracker is invaluable for the monitoring of shipments of goods.