APRS NEWS
September 1998
HAIL, SESA!
Manufacturers and others who participate in overseas exhibitions like the annual AES conventions will be significantly affected by imminent major changes in the DTI arrangements for financial support to beginner exporters.
The previous Joint Venture system, titled TFSS, is to disappear. In its place, from December 1998, we shall have SESA, Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad.
The purpose of the change is to make more efficient use of the government funding available both to encourage new exporters and to help established exporters penetrate identified target markets. As in the past, it will fall to sponsor organisations in our case, that means the Association to propose the events for funding by the DTI, and to recruit, manage and re-imburse the participants.
The rules about a maximum three, or five, participations will be similar, but
eligibility will not henceforth be affected by participations more than ten years
previously. The level of grant, to be paid after the event, will now be the same for all
markets, fixed at 60% of stand space and stand construction costs up to a fixed ceiling of
�2,300 [with supplementary grants available for certain countries outside Western
Europe and North America]. There will be more liberal interpretation of what counts as
stand construction costs, and it will be possible by prior arrangement for certain events
attracting fewer than
ten participants to be approved. A new extra package of help will be available, at no
charge, to those participating at an event for the very first time.
The APRS is pleased with the new scheme and believes sponsored companies will derive good benefits from the changes.
Prospective exhibitors should note that the next AES Convention in Europe [Munich, 8-11 May 1999] is on the SESA list and the AES in USA later in 1999 and in Europe in 2000 are already approved core events.
|
|
