| The Association
of United States Representatives Abroad (AURA) is an
informal association of US state and county representatives
in the UK. It was started approximately five years ago
by the Commercial Service at the US Embassy in London
and I took over as President in 2002.
AURA is primarily made up of the companies or organisations
that represent parts of the US in the UK. We currently
have 62 members (32 UK-based), from 29 states, one US
city (Denver, Colorado) and one US county (Fairfax).
We also have 65 non-representative contacts, making
a total of 127.
The different offices provide a range of services, for
example, some include tourism, and others don’t.
Some are very active in trade missions and others are
not. It depends on the priorities and remits set by
the states for their work here. We also maintain a large
number of contacts from the Council of American States
in Europe (CASE), based in Frankfurt am Main, so we
are not strictly UK-limited.
AURA continues to work closely with the US Embassy in
London. We have good relationships with the government
investment bodies, like UK Trade & Investment, as
well as all the Regional Development Authorities situated
around the UK, and we hold events with representatives
to keep our members up to date with new initiatives
and reiterate the support that is available to us from
these agencies and organisations. The members of AURA
meet every three months to network and discuss plans.
We also swap notes on upcoming trade missions in and
out of the UK, and UK events designed to promote a sector
or an area of the US here in the UK.
Although we can be potential competitors for attracting
firms to our respective areas, in practice, this conflict
seldom occurs. We all gain by exchanging ideas and tips
on useful contacts, such as good hotels and local transport
services. The US Embassy Commercial Service also uses
our member notices to distribute useful information
from the US Government.
If you are thinking of coming to the UK, one port of
call should be to check if your city, state or county
has an office in the UK or Europe. You will find a list
of many of the state/US offices here in the Handbook.
They make an excellent first phone call.
Mick Ryan is also Director,
London Office of Fairfax County (Virginia)
Economic Development Authority (FCEDA).
For further information, contact:
6th Floor, Empire House
175 Piccadilly
London W1J 9TB
E-mail: FairfaxUK@dial.pipex.com
Inside UK:
Tel: 0800 085 0969
Fax: 0800 085 0969
Outside UK:
Tel: +44 (0) 1732 743310
Fax: +44 (0) 1732 743310
Mobile: +44 (0) 7050 103305
Website: www.fairfaxcountyeda.org
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