/ Danish-Norwegian business conference opens doors and new business opportunities
Green transition and digitalization were the main themes when more than 100 business people recently gathered in Kristiansand for the Skagerrak Business Summit. The conference was established in 2015 and aims to create new business opportunities and find new customers and partners across the Skagerrak. It is held every other year in Norway and Denmark, and this year it was Norway's turn to host.
"Matchmaking"
A very important part of the conference is the opportunity for matchmaking between companies. The conference facilitates matchmaking with speed dating sessions where participants have the opportunity to get in direct contact with potential partners and/or customers.
Tor Arne Hauge from Otechos participated in the Skagerrak Business Summmit for the first time - "I am very pleased with the outcome and secured several new and promising contacts that I think will be very useful in the future," he says.
Good results:
Feedback from participants was extremely positive:
- 98% got two or more possible partners
- 82% gained one or more leads
- 88% of participants in the match-making session felt that they got a lot out of it
- 96% benefited greatly from participation in the networking dinner
- 94% will attend the Skagerrak Business Summit again
Offshore wind in the firing line
Mayor of Kristiansand, Jan Oddvar Skisland and County Mayor Arne Thomassen opened the conference.
- In the future, much will revolve around offshore wind. You in Denmark are good at turbines and wind turbine blades, and we are good at offshore technology and solutions. Together we can be and create a tremendous force for Europe," Skisland said.
Thomassen also highlighted the good cooperation between Norway and Denmark and the need to focus on alternative energy sources in light of the climate challenges facing Europe and the world.
Trond Madsen from NHO Agder presented the day's program, before Norway's Ambassador to Denmark, Katja Christina Nordgaard, and Denmark's Ambassador to Norway, Louise Bang Jespersen, gave short presentations that ended with an informal "sofa chat". Both highlighted the special situation Europe is in now, both in relation to the war in Ukraine and the climate challenges that are looming ever closer.
Jan Oddvar Skisland, Mayor of Kristiansand (photo: Kristiansand municipality).
Arne Thomassen, County Mayor of Agder (photo: Kristiansand municipality)
From table to table during dinner
Connecting potential business partners is an important part of the conference, which is reinforced during the networking dinner itself.
- You rotated between each course to get to know as many people as possible. For each new table you came to, everyone had to introduce themselves to each other," says business advisor Ole Jacob Rynning-Tønnesen from the business region.
The companies that did not participate this year will have another opportunity in Denmark in 2023.
Ole Jacob Rynning Tønnessen (photo: Kristiansand municipality)
Facts about the Skagerrak Business Summit:
- An annual conference aimed at creating new business opportunities across the Skagerrak.
- The conference is held every two years in Norway and Denmark and has already created new business opportunities for a number of companies.
- The conference started in 2015
- The conference is a collaboration between several clusters in North Jutland, Business Aalborg, Business region Kristiansand, NHO Agder, Innovation Norway, Digin, Maritimt Forum Sør, GCE NODE and Næringsforeningen i Kristiansandsregionen.
- Kristiansand municipality contributes financially
The Norwegian Ambassador to Denmark, Katja Christina Nordgaard, left, together with the Danish Ambassador to Norway, Louise Bang Jespersen. Both gave presentations at the conference (photo: Kristiansand municipality)
