This program provides placements in Trade and Investment Queensland’s overseas offices for export-ready Queensland SMEs.

Inkerman Cane Growers was the first SME to participate in the program, travelling to Trade and Investment Queensland’s Japan office in September 2018 under the Developing Future Leaders program. A further 4 businesses participated in that round of the program, and another 5 businesses in the first 2019 round, variously targeting Indonesia, India and Singapore. All 5 of the SMEs travelled to their respective target markets, where they were supported in critical meetings with prospective buyers by Trade and Investment Queensland’s international network.

In 2019, the program was expanded and renamed the Exporter Market Engagement Program (EMEP), and Round 3 is currently underway. Due to COVID-19, the grant criteria was modified to better support exporters to complete market research activity without the need to travel.

Four graduates completed 8-week placements in Trade and Investment Queensland’s Shanghai, Santiago and Hong Kong offices under the Developing Future Leaders program in 2018.

With the original initiative completed, a new program, Trade and Investment Queensland Study Queensland’s Launch U Trade Accelerator, was launched in 2020 to provide opportunities for Queensland companies and students of Queensland universities to connect over real-life international trade projects.

Now called Strategic Engagement and Client Management, this initiative has established a whole-of-government client engagement and management framework to enhance the consistency and coordination of trade and investment service delivery.

As part of the initiative, Trade and Investment Queensland’s concierge service is now operational for clients, whether they be Queensland or international trade or investment clients.

Trade and Investment Queensland has also introduced ‘game plans’ in conjunction with client that clearly articulate the obligations and responsibilities of both parties and define the services to be delivered. These provide a clear understanding of how Trade and Investment Queensland can support each business in its export or investment journey.

The final component of the initiative is Export Connections, a peer-to-peer brainstorming and sharing event series for Queensland exporters that was launched in Townsville in October 2019. As at June 2020, Export Connections has delivered 7 events, 2 of which were virtual. 141 companies have attended and feedback has been extremely positive, indicating the workshops have helped participants to make over 350 valuable connections.

In 2019–20, Trade and Investment Queensland has facilitated:

• a BIO mission with Life Sciences Queensland (June 2019)
• a METS mission to Kazakhstan and Russia in (September 2019) and
• a mission to IME2019 in Kolkata in (November 2019).

Further trade missions have been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019, Trade and Investment Queensland implemented a process whereby select Queensland exporters can be provided with letters of introduction tailored to suit prospective international buyers or investors in target markets. Letters may be offered to select clients through Trade and Investment Queensland’s Strategic Engagement and Client Management program.

In March 2018, Trade and Investment Queensland supported the establishment of the Australia Silver Industry Group (ASIG) business consortium, Australia’s first senior-living and aged-care consortium. Its vision is to provide innovative solutions in senior living for residents and operators through its technological, service and product capabilities.

It comprises of 5 companies with strong capabilities and experience in aged care and senior living, and expertise spanning the design, management and construction of aged care facilities, aged-care training, digital solutions and many other key areas.

The group members work collaboratively to target international project opportunities, combining their expertise to provide a unified and diverse Queensland offering.

ASIG has engaged in a number of overseas missions with Trade and Investment Queensland’s support and has secured $8.6 million of export deals in its first 15 months of operation.

In 2019, Trade and Investment Queensland launched the International Business Advisory Program, which connects Queensland businesses to mentors in global markets. 5 Queensland businesses participated in the program, and received:

• access to senior business leaders and their networks
• expert market advice and guidance relevant to their sector
• four mentoring sessions

The initiative is now complete.

Trade and Investment Queensland has run a variety of ecommerce training workshops for SMEs across Queensland, commencing with joint workshops with online giant Alibaba in 2017.

In April 2019, more than 500 participants attended Grow with Google workshops supported by Trade and Investment Queensland in Brisbane and Cairns.

Trade and Investment Queensland delivered a further 6 ecommerce workshops across Bundaberg, Toowoomba, Ipswich, Brisbane, Cairns and Mackay between 2 and 10 July 2019. These workshops were delivered in collaboration with Austrade.

With ecommerce becoming even more prominent throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Trade and Investment Queensland continues to provide ecommerce information and training to Queensland SMEs.

Trade and Investment Queensland has released 4 international market reports:

• Mining India’s METS opportunities (July 2018; see Initiative 18)
• Taiwan as a market for the Queensland aged-care sector (March 2019)
• Opportunities for Queensland business in Japan’s hydrogen economy (October 2019)
• Opportunities for Queensland businesses in Taiwan’s agtech market (April 2020)

Trade and Investment Queensland opened its North Queensland office in Townsville in 2017, boosting its regional network to a total of 8 offices across Queensland and enabling more trade and investment support to be provided to Queensland businesses.

This initiative is now complete.

Trade and Investment Queensland and the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in February 2018. Through the MOU, Trade and Investment Queensland has provided LGAQ with funding to provide Queensland local governments with trade and investment training and mentorship. Initiatives rolled out in 2019 include an Attracting Foreign Direct Investment Workshop held in late November, attended by over 50 representatives from southern Queensland councils.

LGAQ has also hired a trade and investment specialist, providing additional support and liaison for local governments.

Trade and Investment Queensland is currently working with LGAQ on an updated MOU.

In 2018, Trade and Investment Queensland established regional Trade and Investment Groups (TIGs) across Queensland. With members bringing together key regional representatives such as local governments and chambers of commerce, the TIGs enable collaboration of key trade and investment issues and opportunities.

In 2020, the TIGs have proved to be vital to addressing the challenges thrown up by COVID-19.

In 2019, Trade and Investment Queensland introduced the Go Global Export Program. The program is designed to overcome some of the export barriers when working with a new buyer and/or in a new market, such as:

• market entry requirements such as registration, documentation and compliance
• costs associated with product testing and redesign, product approvals, trial export programs (logistics), meeting export market requirements, and seeking professional advice on contract negotiation, IP advice, and counterfeit protection gaining Export Accreditation, such as Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point or Halal accreditation.

The first year of the Go Global Export Program (2019–20) resulted in 37 export-ready SMEs from across Queensland being granted almost $730,000 to support them to enter new international markets.

Trade and Investment Queensland has presented a workshop training program across Queensland in recent years, often in partnership with other organisations.

In 2018–19, 845 participants from 489 businesses attended 40 workshops in 15 regional locations, covering a wide range of export and investment topics.

Face-to-face training in 2020 has been postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19. In the meantime, Trade and Investment Queensland has been developing online market updates and advice to support Queensland SMEs looking to export to new markets.

Export and Investment training throughout Queensland is managed by Trade and Investment Queensland's regional network.

In 2019 Trade and Investment Queensland’s Regional Network initiated a program of 50 workshop events across Queensland with a dual trade and investment attraction focus.  These 50 workshops were shared between the Training for Regional SMEs, Regional Investment Readiness and Cross-border Ecommerce Training initiatives.

The first 10 Attracting Investment workshops were held in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Yeppoon, Maryborough, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and were attended by over 800 Queensland SME representatives. These Attracting Investment events were facilitated by Trade and Investment Queensland regional network teams in collaboration with State and Federal agencies, as well as local consultants.

Trade and Investment Queensland engaged Deloitte to deliver ‘Create winning investment proposals’ which concluded in May 2019. As well, Asialink has delivered the ‘Build cultural awareness’ workshops which concluded in June 2019.

The final two series of workshops – “Exploring E-Commerce”, presented by Austrade, and “Get Pitch Ready”, were delivered by DSDMIP (now DSDTI) in July 2019.

In August 2019 Trade and Investment Queensland established a specialist investment team, headed by Global Investment Commissioner, Ross Buchanan. Regional investment readiness across Queensland has been supported by the facilitation of investment training in early 2020.

In 2019 Trade and Investment Queensland relocated from Houston to new offices in San Francisco and New York, to better position Trade and Investment Queensland’s focus on knowledge industries and investment respectively.

Viki Forest was appointed Queensland’s new Trade and Investment Commissioner for North America in April 2019 and is based in San Francisco.

This initiative is now complete.

Trade and Investment Queensland’s newly expanded Singapore office was officially opened by the Hon. Kate Jones MP on 26 November 2018. Mr Tom Calder was appointed as the Trade and Investment Commissioner for ASEAN.

The Trade and Investment Queensland Singapore office is responsible for promoting and facilitating Queensland exports and investment attraction in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and other ASEAN nations in the region. The office works closely with Trade and Investment Queensland Indonesia.

An expanded Trade and Investment Queensland office opened in Jakarta in 2018. The new premises in Jakarta’s CBD include better facilities for Queensland businesses visiting Indonesia, and more room for additional Trade and Investment Queensland staff members to promote Queensland in this key export market.

Also, in July 2018 Trade and Investment Queensland welcomed new Trade and Investment Commissioner Ben Giles.

Trade and Investment Queensland Indonesia is well-placed to assist Queensland businesses looking to leverage the new Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) in force as of 5 July 2020. The office also works with Trade and Investment Queensland ASEAN to support businesses get a foothold across ASEAN markets.

The Queensland – India Trade and Investment Strategy 2018-2023, was launched in November 2018 in Bengaluru (Bangalore) by the Hon. Kate Jones MP. It commits to delivering 22 activities over 5 years to strengthen trade and business ties between Queensland and India and build the capability of Queensland SMEs to engage with India.

Since its launch, Trade and Investment Queensland has undertaken a number of activities to assist Queensland. These include:

• release of the Mining India’s METS opportunities international market report in July 2018
• a Study Queensland India roundtable, hosted by Trade and Investment Queensland’s India Trade and Investment Commissioner in Brisbane in October 2019
• facilitation of a METS mission to India in November 2019, coinciding with the 8th Edition of International Mining Equipment, Minerals and Metals Exhibition (IME) 2019 Kolkata
• participation in the first Indo-ASEAN-Oceanic Business Summit & Expo held in August 2020
• allocated two additional placements under the 2019 Developing Future Leaders Program see Initiative 1 and one additional mentoring position for businesses wishing to export to the Indian market’.
• development of 5 sector guides with practical advice for businesses aiming to do business with India, including relevant case studies and Queensland success stories. Release of the guides is pending understanding of impacts from COVID-19.

In 2019 Trade and Investment Queensland completed an internal review of its international office network. The timing of implementing recommendations of the review will be re-considered given impacts of COVID-19.

The prospectus was published in 2017 and has been used to promote Queensland internationally through Trade and Investment Queensland’s overseas offices.

With the commencement of the new Investment Team at Trade and Investment Queensland headed by Queensland’s Global Investment Commissioner Ross Buchanan, priority activities will be incorporated into investment materials used into the future.

Trade and Investment Queensland is identifying future efficiencies to be achieved through its online services to enable improved client-focused messaging.

Trade and Investment Queensland has coordinated several showcase events both in Queensland and overseas since the commencement of the Strategy.

In 2018–19, these included the HOFEX food and beverage trade show in Hong Kong, the Food and Hotel China trade show in Shanghai, local food showcases for international buyers, BIO 2018 in the USA, aged-care showcases in Asia, and mining showcases in India.

In 2019–20, Trade and Investment Queensland participated in the Australia-Korea Business Council joint meeting which took place in November and commenced preparations for Dubai World Expo 2020 (now on hold due to COVID-19).