FTPB - News

FTPB News n° 9 - 13 December 2007

Since our last Bulletin (the September issue), we have been very busy here at FTPB – and we all know that the run-up to the end-of-year break always tends to be hectic.

FTPB works closely with our partners in the regions, in France, and those include the chambers of commerce and industry (Chambres de Commerce et d’Industrie, or CCI). As part of this, I went to the northern French city of Lille, where I had useful meetings for much of the day, on 16 November. The representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of Lille were very interested in what FTPB will be able to do for the region as a whole and for its promotion in 2008.

The Eurostar trip from London to Lille takes a mere 80 minutes, now that the high-speed link has been completed on the English side of the Channel Tunnel, which means that a day trip is very easy. Departure from Saint-Pancras adds a touch of glamour to the journey — or, should I say, to the experience — thanks to the ambitious and successful renovation of the railway station.

I had time to wander around the pedestrianized streets of the old part of Lille in the late afternoon before zooming back to London, and found that it is a very attractive city blending French and Flemish influences in a charming way. With the Eurostar service, Lille is in fact turning into a prime destination for British tourists, more particularly those living in the South-East of England who fancy a weekend get-away. Conversely, it is probably correct to say that the city’s attractions are unfairly underrated in many parts of France other than the Nord Pas-de-Calais region.

Still on the subject of Lille, Kate Ambler, FTPB Press Officer, and I were invited to a prestigious cocktail party organised by the agency for the promotion of the metropolitan region of Lille (known as APIM, as per its French acronym), at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, on 6 December. Among the speakers was Mr Pierre Mauroy, former prime minister of France and mayor of Lille, who explained how Lady Thatcher, then prime minister of the UK, came to agree to the Channel Tunnel project, which was to change forever communications between France and Britain .

I am glad to report that FTPB had its own Christmas party, on 29 November, and it was a tremendous success – a sure sign was that the party started before 6:30pm and there were still many guests by 11:00pm, when it ended. About 70 people attended – the majority of them journalists and editors working for trade-press publications.

There were also officials working for FTPB’s institutional partners, both French and British – among them the Invest in France Agency (with its CEO, Mr Philippe Yvergniaux); the Mission Economique (ME), i.e. the Trade Section of the French Embassy in London; the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain (CCFGB), with its recently appointed CEO, Ms Florence Gomez ; and UK Trade Investment (UKTI), which is the British equivalent of UBIFRANCE/Invest in France combined.

Attendees were impressed with the venue (a beautiful function room in the London Capital Club, in the very heart of the City), and the drinks on offer turned the event into even more of a memorable occasion. Indeed, we must thank Winesight, the Burgundy-based wine-trading company, and its CEO, Mr Yanis Taieb, for providing us with excellent Burgundy wines (including sparkling wine known as Crémant).

We must also thank Mr Dominique Sialelli and his wife, Armelle, who founded Brasserie Pietra more than 10 years ago, in Corsica, and whose company has kept growing ever since – the chestnut-flavoured beer on offer (called Pietra) was met with the guests’ unanimous approval.

The December bulletin of FTPB illustrates perfectly the breadth of our coverage, and you will find stories in a wide range of areas including food & drinks, timber (as used in construction and furniture), the recycling of electronic and electrical waste, high-precision components, biofuels, biotechnology and healthcare, marine resources, the convergence of standards for revisable office documents, wireless networks, time & frequency technology, simulation software, packaging, business management programmes, the aerospace sector, and specialist machines for the textile-manufacturing industry.

I hope you will find this issue of FTPB News of interest. I also hope you will have a pleasant end-of-year break. This is the last issue of our bulletin for 2007; the next issue will come out in mid-February 2008.

On behalf of the whole FTPB team, we wish you, your colleagues and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Philip Jolly, Managing Director, FTPB

Agriculture & Food

Chemicals

Construction & Architecture

Electronics & Engineering

Agriculture & Food

IPA 2008 offers outstanding menu for food-processing sector in Paris

IPA 2008, the leading trade show for the food-processing industry, will be held in Paris from 17 to 20 November 2008. The show will feature a programme of events focused on future developments and innovation and there will be nearly 600 French and international companies attending.