December 1, 2015

TMEA Evening Cocktail and Networking Session

DATE: Wednesday, 15th December 2015

TIME: 6.00pm – 9.00pm

LOCATION: HILTON HOTEL NAIROBI, ROOM TBC

Background

TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) is a US$ 560 million Aid for Trade Initiative that was set up to support the EAC Secretariat and EAC Partner States to achieve their ambition of full regional integration. TMEA has been in existence since 2010 but was officially launched in January 2011 and has focused initiatives on the following three key pillars: increasing physical access to markets; enhancing the trade environment; and improving business competitiveness through working with the private sector. TMEA is funded by funded by the United
Kingdom, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, United States Government, Canada and Finland. OTMEA has set up offices in Nairobi (HQ and Kenya Country Programme), Kampala, Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Kigali, Bujumbura and Juba.

The East African Community has grown to be the most advanced Regional Economic Community in Africa. Progress to date has included establishment of the Customs Union and Common Market Protocol which has led to the development of a fully functioning Free Trade Area with ambitions to link this to the COMESA and SADC Free Trade Areas.

Over the last few years, TMEA has spearheaded trade facilitation initiatives for the region, working on initiatives such as increasing port efficiency; improving hard and soft infrastructure at border crossings and customs management; harmonisation of product standards; transport and logistics innovation and supporting private sector capacity and input into the EAC regional integration process. These support programmes have since delivered huge benefits to the East African community through lowering trade costs, increasing intra-regional trade and vastly increasing efficiency along the transport arteries in East Africa.

Session will be interactive particularly showcasing TMEA’s Strategy II ad highlighting TMEA’s key results and commitment to scaling up existing programming in the next 5 years. It will also showcase the East Africa Government and Private Sector Compact Initiative.

Objective(s)

The overall objective will be to create awareness and sell opportunity for TMEAs strategy II. Specific

objectives include:

  1. Market TMEAs strategy II to new and potential donors
  2. Highlighting TMEA’s key results from strategy I
  3. Showcase the East Africa Government and Private Sector Compact Initiative

Outputs

The expected outputs of the cocktail and networking event will be a report with action points for TMEA on Strategy II

Approach and Methodology

TMEA will convene donors, business leaders, trade facilitation experts and policy makers in an intimate networking cocktail session where TMEA will showcase its strategy II and highlighting TMEA’s key results and commitment to scaling up existing programming in the next 5 years. It will also showcase the East Africa Government and Private Sector Compact Initiative. The TMEA Cocktail and Networking session will feature the following:

  1. 10 minute speech by invited TMEA VIP guests; Pascal Lamy (Immediate Past DG, WTO) and Lord
  2. Francis Maude (UK Trade and Investment Minister). Speeches to highlight TMEAs impact in the region and its uniqueness as an effective aid for trade organisation
  3. 15 min audio visual presentation on TMEAs key results and Strategy II by TMEA CEO
  4. 10 min Q&A session
  5. Networking

Information Sharing

Gallery of TMEAs work and key results will be placed strategically in the meeting room. TMEA will also extensively employ social media such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and blogs both to drive people to the session, and share information and inspiration as widely as possible. Sponsors of this session will also be allocated booths to display marketing and communication materials.

Targeted Participants

The participants will be drawn from TMEA investors current and potential, TMEA Board Members, TMEA partners including government officials and private sector partners, Chairs of NOC, development agencies attending MC 10 and TDS.

Coordination

The main organisers will be TMEA. Coordination for this event will be allocated as follows:

  1. Send invitations to VIPs (Pascal Lamy and Lord Maude)
  2. Confirm venue at Hilton Hotel
  3. Confirm costs for cocktail
  4. Identify potential sponsors (Maersk & Standard Bank)
  5. Prepare invitation list and send out invitations
  6. Manage set up of the room to include table set up, podium, audio-visual equipment, sound etc.
  7. Develop multi-media presentation on Strategy 2
  8. Staff back up
  9. Develop appropriate messages and content for use on digital media
  10. Live stream of speeches and presentation

Duration

This session is expected to take place during the TDS and will last a maximum of three hours including speeches, presentations and networking.

TMEA Contacts

  1. Dennis Kashero, Communications Director – dennis.kashero@trademarkea.com
  2. Nelson Karanja, Senior Communications Manager – nelson.karanja@trademarkea.com