Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership team members Alex Knollenberg, Kylee Shirey, Hannah Stork and Alan Tio traveled to Germany for a weeklong sales trip to connect with European businesspeople and develop business leads to support the organizations goal of increasing business investment in the region. Overall, the team was able to make more than 100 new contacts.

During the trip, the team joined 5,200 exhibitors and 190,000 visitors at Hannover Messe, the worlds leading industrial trade fair, in Germany. The event showcased the fourth industrial revolution, which involves integration of smart technology in the world of manufacturing.

In addition to the trade show, the team members traveled to Düsseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart, and Tuttlingen to meet with government and business leaders.
The Regional Partnership team also met with representatives from HALDRUP and Voss Automotive, both of which have operations in Northeast Indiana, at their company headquarters in Germany. Currently, Northeast Indiana is home to nearly 70 international businesses with 12 from Germany.

This fall, the Regional Partnership will follow up with many of these contacts at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago.

As we build, market and sell Northeast Indiana to increase business investment, its our job to ensure that Northeast Indiana remains a top contender for international businesses looking to expand or relocate. The contacts we made in Germany will move our strategy and region forward in the global marketplace, said Alan Tio, senior vice president of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership.