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A first port of call
AURA is an informal association of US state and county representatives in the UK. It was started by the US Commercial Service in London over seven years ago. I have recently taken over as president from Mick Ryan, who, over the previous five years, proved to be an active and successful president, building up the organization in terms of the range and quality of events and in the number of members, particularly those from the private sector.
We have nearly 50 US state, county and city members covering a wide geographic area in the US. In addition, AURA now has around 90 commercial and private-sector members, giving us a total membership of over 140. The different state, city and county offices provide a wide range of services for companies wishing to trade with or invest in their particular regions. Many of these offices will also help organise inward and outward trade missions. In addition, some offices offer a tourism service for either or both the trader and consumer. AURA also maintains strong links with the Council of American States in Europe (CASE) based in Frankfurt, Germany. This link gives AURA commercial members and contacts access to virtually every US representative office covering the UK.
In addition to working closely with the US Embassy and Commercial Service in London, and with BritishAmerican Business, we also have excellent relationships with UK Trade and Investment both in London and other regions of the UK. We also liaise with many of the UK Regional Development Authorities and the regional organizations of British-American Business Council (BABC). We meet these organizations regularly in order to ensure that our members are kept abreast on any new initiatives, planned activities, new contacts and the support available to our members.
The members of AURA aim to meet every three months for a breakfast event with high-quality, relevant speakers, followed by an opportunity for members to network. Members will swap notes on up-and-coming trade and investment events and relevant trade missions. This is also an opportunity to discuss topical issues with the US Commercial Service representatives. We also hold an information networking get-together once or twice a year.
Although our state, county and city members are potential competitors for inward investment, in truth conflicts seldom occur. We are all committed to helping US-UK trade and investment, and we believe that exchanging ideas, information and contacts is to the benefit of all. The US Embassy Commercial Service also uses our e-mail member notices to distribute important or relevant information from the US government.
We welcome new members who have a specific interest in doing business in the US or with US companies or organizations.
For more information about AURA please contact:
Tim Church or Tracey Smith
ED Alliance
Grosvenor Gardens House, Suite 70
35-37 Grosvenor Gardens
London SW1 0BS
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7630 5033
E-mail: timchurch@edalliance.co.uk
E-mail: traceysmith@edalliance.co.uk
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