delegates about opportunities avail-
able in Houston.
United Kingdom
In July 2017, Mayor Turner led a
trade and investment mission to the
U.K. accompanied by President and
CEO of the Texas Medical Center
(TMC) Bill McKeon among oth-
ers. Following the mission, which
included meetings to discuss educa-
tional and medical collaboration, the
team at the British Consulate Gener-
al in Houston and the TMC worked
for months to create the BioBridge,
which establishes a life sciences and
technology marketplace for emerg-
ing technologies. Now start-ups in
the UK and in the TMC will have
a point of entry into new markets
abroad and a support system to help
them successfully navigate doing
business in the UK or the US.
Above: Mayor Turner and London Mayor Sadiq
Khan meet during the trade and investment
mission to the U.K.
Could your business benefit
from joining a trade mission?
Above: In an official signing ceremony, along with the Mayor of Halifax
Mike Savage, Mayor Turner officially welcomes Executive Mayor of Cape
Town Patricia de Lille to the World Energy Cities Partnership
Above: Mayor Turner signs a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Mayor of Beijing
28 iF Magazine | January 2019
The best-qualified companies for missions represent
industries that have products and services that are
suited for a targeted international market. Trade mis-
sions are most often organized in cooperation with
a chamber of commerce. For example, the Greater
Houston Partnership and City of Houston Mayor’s
Office of Trade and International Affairs collaborate
on many occasions to produce trade and investment
missions that open doors for Houston-area compa-
nies while at the same time forging stronger rela-
tionship between City of Houston leadership and
high-level government officials abroad. The Greater
Houston Partnership and bilateral chambers are ex-
cellent organizations through which to gain knowl-
edge of international markets and to participate in
missions. The Mayor’s Office of Trade and Interna-
tional Affairs lists a number of bilateral chambers on
its web site - https://www.houstontx.gov/motia/
BusinessResources.html. You may also follow the
office on Twitter and Facebook to obtain more in-
formation about missions Mayor Turner leads abroad.