The LDBA’s Yearly Trade Mission to the Netherlands: 5 to 12 May, 2012
The LDBA’s Yearly Trade Mission to the Netherlands:
Why join? What’s in it for me?
Since 2003, the LDBA, in cooperation with the Netherlands Embassy in Lebanon, has been organizing this yearly “pilgrimage” to the Netherlands, with more than 20 member companies participating almost regularly, year after year.
Why? What’s in it for them?
The main benefit of joining the Trade Mission is, most certainly, participation in the "Matchmaking Sessions" organized by the Dutch Chambers of Commerce.
Dutch companies that are potential business partners will come to you in the comfort of the Chamber’s conference room, 5 minutes’ walk from your hotel, rather than you touring the country to meet with them! (assuming you had found them on the internet…)
The procedure is simply that the Beirut Embassy sends the profiles of all participating companies, with a statement of interest from each, well in advance to the Ministry of Economy in the Hague, to be relayed to the various Chambers, who in turn broadcast them to all member companies (practically, the whole Dutch business community) advising them that a delegation is coming from Lebanon on such and such dates, in coordination with the Beirut Embassy (a reassuring fact for Dutch businesses), consisting of companies whose profiles are attached, and inviting interested Dutch companies to apply for appointments to meet with the companies of their choice, at the said "matchmaking session".
Furthermore, the timing of the Mission was always synchronized with the PLMA (Private Label Manufacturing Association) international yearly exhibition in Amsterdam (that usually takes place during the last week of May), which is a very interesting prospect for most members. However, this year, we will pass on this activity, due to a conflict of scheduling, only to resume it next year.
And of course the schedule leaves time available for members to meet with their existing clients and conduct their routine business while in the country.
As for the social aspect of the trip, more and more spouses have been joining, and the group enjoys excellent dinners and organized tours, this year to the famous Keukenhof Flower Exhibition (see www.keukenhof.nl) among others. And to say that a week in beautiful Amsterdam with 20 or so friends is fun, is an understatement!
The costs of the trip are to each member’s own account, but there is an economy of scale which is reflected in favorable ticket prices and preferential Hotel rates.
All in all, it’s just another manifestation of the LDBA’s motto:
Together We Can Do Better!
We call on all members who haven’t yet benefited from this prospect to participate this year. This can be done by sending a brief company profile and a short statement of interest to secretary@lebdutch.com before the end of January 2012.
Annual Dinner 2011
The LDBA celebrated its annual dinner on the 15th of December, 2011, at the Phoenicia Intercontinental's Grand Ballroom.
The evening was animated by the Real Deal Blues Band, who started the evening with a collection of Soft Jazz tunes, and built up to Swing Dance Music as the eve progressed.
Two return tickets to Marseille offered by KLM/Air France were won, as well as 2 necklaces offered by Nsouli Jewelry, and 2 household articles offered by AZ Electronics/Philips (an electric frier and an LCD TV set).
Furthermore, the LDBA took the opportunity to present a token of appreciation to the Commercial Attache at the Netherlands Embassy, Mr. Tarek Ouerghi, who has been the fulcrum and prime mover of most of its activities!
For photos, see the Social Activities Section.
Seminar on Modern Management Tactics in the Digital Age
In cooperation with the Netherlands Institute-Beirut (under establishment), the LDBA organized a double lecture on Modern Management Tactics in a Global Digital Age on 13 December 2011, at the Chamber of Commerce in Beirut. Mr. Jelle Alkema (Alkema & Bakker, lecturer in MBA programs in the Netherlands) discussed several aspects of business management in relation to cultural differences and the inclusion of these differences in business models. Dr. Payal Arora (Department of Media and Communication, School of
History, Culture and Communication of Erasmus University of Rotterdam) focused her lecture on challenges and opportunities which modern social media present to corporations. See photos in the Activities Section.
Reception in honor of Curacao's Minister of Economy
On Monday the 18th of July, the LDBA held a reception at the Holiday Inn, Dunes, in honor of the visiting Curacao Minisiter of Economy, Abdul-Nasser El-Hakim, attended by the LDBA members and a number of Dignitaries and Officials.
Minister El-Hakim charmed the guests with his charismatic personality, and was very convincing in his appeal to Lebanese Businesspersons to consider investing in Curacao, explaining the advantages of operating in or via Curacao, considering its geographic situation as a gateway to Central and South America, and its Dutch business heritage and culture.
View photos in the "Activities" Section.
Seminar on Food Safety
On Thursday July 07th, 2011, the Lebanese Dutch Business Association hosted a seminar at the Beirut Chamber of Commerce HQ in Beirut entitled: “Feeding the Future: Food and Responsibility” presented by Ms. Frederike Praasterink, Professor in sustainable food production at HAS Den Bosch University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.
The presentation was followed by a Q/A Session, and a Cocktail Buffet.
The topic proved very near to the attendee's hearts, considering that the media have repeatedly waved the Danger Flag in the last decade, reminding us that whilst the world population is growing exponentially, the surface of arable land world-wide is diminishing, due to desertification and Global Warming. At the same time, farming is becoming less attractive as a business, and young generations are drifting away from agriculture, into more lucrative urban businesses. And hence food supply is diminishing at a time when demand is growing! And this is where Ms. Praasternik elaborated on the various efforts exerted by governments, NGO's and Private Enterprise to find better techniques (or in some cases, technologies) for growing more and better crops, and the various attempts to stimulate farming by making it more lucrative as a business through farm subsidies or through doing away, to a certain extent, with middlemen who eat up the margins.
Both the premises and the cocktail were courtsey of the Chamber, for which the LDBA is very thankful.
We also thank the Netherlands Institute for inviting Ms. Praasternik to Lebanon and making this seminar possible.
See photos in "Activities" Section
Trade Mission 2011
Another successful Trade Mission to the Netherlands, organized by the LDBA in conjunction with the Netherlands Embassy in Beirut, took place from 22 to 28 May, 2011, this time with 24 LDBA members (many of them with their spouses) and 34 Dutch companies on the receiving end.
As usual, the whole concerto was orchestrated by the Embassy's Commercial Attache, Mr. Tarek Ouerghi, whose hard prepared planning insured a smooth flowing program, down to the last detail.
A matchmaking session between the Lebanese visitors and their Dutch counterparts took place at the Hague Chamber of Commerce, followed by a cocktail at the Residence of the Lebanese Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Zaidan Al-Saghir.
A dinner was also hosted in the honor of the delegation by Mr. Salim Rabbani at the Cedars restaurant in Amsterdam.
See photos in "Activities Section".
Seminar on Kafalat
On Tuesday, the 5th of May, 2011, the LDBA, in association with the Banque Libano-Francaise, hosted a Seminar on Kafalat.
Dr. Khater Abi Habib, President of Kafalat gave a very interesting and enlightening presentation on the subject, and this was followed by a Q/A session, and a cocktail.
Also in attendance was Dr. Nabil Itani, President of IDAL, who briefed the audience about IDAL's activities. That, however, will be subjuct of a separate Seminar, to be organized by the LDBA in the future.
Trade Mission to the Netherlands
This year's Trade Mission will take place, as announced earlier, from 23 to 27 May, 2011. Participation will be at its highest, thanks to the success of previous years' Missions.
A link with all the participating companies' profiles is posted here:
www.lebdutch.com/Lebanese_Trade_Mission_2011.pdf
Members interested in joining may still have a chance.
Check with the Secretary to see if it's still workable.
Lunch at the Netherlands Ambassador's Residence
The Netherlands Ambassador to Lebanon, H.E. Hero de Boer, hosted a lunch at his Residence in Ashrafiyeh, on Tuesday the 5th of April, 2011, in honor of the newly elected (same old-same old) LDBA Board and Founding Members.
The pleasant occasion was shared by the Lebanese Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Zaidan Al-Saghir, as well as the Netherlands Embassy's Deputy Mission Head, Mr. Hans Peter v.d. Woude, and the Commercial Attache, Mr. Tarek Ouerghi.
LDBA General Assembly
The LDBA held its annual General Assembly on Tuesday the 22nd of February, 2011, at the Bristol Hotel, Hamra.
The Board presented a summary of the activities and events of 2010, as well as the revenue/expense accounts, which were subsequently approved by the Assembly.
On the Agenda as well was the election of a new Board. However, no candidates from outside the existing board had submitted their candidacy, so the old board was unanimously re-elected.
At this time and age, with the winds of revolution sweeping through the region, this can be quite risky to the Board members... unless they can come up with a way to cut off Facebook service from all the LDBA members' computers... (for the next 40 years or so???)
See pics in "Activities" section.
Finally, we'd like to share with you the following sweet words read to the Assembly by our Vice-President, Mr. Antoine Bekhazi:
Election et Projection
issues d’une Confiance sans défection
L... ien de soutien profond pour une pertinente continuité
D... éveloppement somptueux et fructueux voué aux projets à satiété
B... ravoure de secours et recours à l’affût du progrès
A... rdeur de chaleur et de bonheur de plein gré
Sp. Antoine Békhazi
Doyen et Vice-Président de la L.D.B.A.
2011 MENA Scholarship Programme for short courses in the Netherlands
The LDBA has received the following information on the 2011 MENA Scholarship Programme, which offers scholarships to Lebanese mid career professionals for short courses in the Netherlandsin in the following fields: water management, environmental sciences, business administration and management, agriculture, geology and earth sciences. This scholarship programme has application deadlines on 1 March 2011 and 1 July 2011 (depending on the specific course you wish to apply for).
The information is also available on http://www.nuffic.nl/international-students/scholarships/scholarships-administered-by-nuffic/mena-scholarship-programme.
Applicants must submit their application form together with all requested documents before 1 March 2011 or 1 July 2011 (depending on the course) to the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Beirut, either by personal delivery (Netherlands Tower, Charles Malek Avenue, Achrafieh) or through mail (PO Box 167190, 1100-2190 Achrafieh, Beirut). Please note that applications received after the deadline will not be taken into consideration, and that incomplete applications run the risk of summary rejection.
The Royal Netherlands Embassy has requested the to-be-established Netherlands Institute in Beirut (NI-Beirut) to implement this programme and process applications. The Embassy itself does not correspond about this scholarship programme or about individual applications. Please direct any questions you may have to the following email address of NI-Beirut: assistantmanager@ni-beirut.org.
Token of Appreciation
During the LDBA Annual Dinner 2010, (see Article below) the LDBA Board honoured 4 LDBA members for distiguished services, and offered them special memorabilia designed for the occasion. The members were: Mrs. Colette Michaca, Messrs. Joseph Halabi, Elie Nahas, and Marwan Nasr.
See photos in Activities Section (Business Meetings).
Business Opportunities
- De Groot International: is a leading player on the international Fruit and Vegetables market. Its products are imported from over 55 countries all over the world, and exported to more than 40 different countries world wide.
They are interested in expanding their business to Lebanon and the Middle East.
For more info please visit their internet-site: www.donmario.nl
Contact: Mr. Wim Valke, Commercial department, Tel: 0031 - 735998815
wimvalke@degroot-int.nl
- Aquadenka Water Treatment is a Dutch company that has a combination of expertise and specialist knowledge of water and wastewater treatment methods. They see Lebanon and/or the Middle East as potential markets for their company in cooperation with local companies in Lebanon.
Lebanese companies interested in the above may contact Mr. Ronald Denkelaar, Aquadenka Watertreatment, Wickenburg 67, 4385 HS, Vlissingen
The Netherlands, Phone: +31 (0) 118 853671, GSM: +31 (0) 6 20412127
www.aquadenka.com
Annual dinner 2010 – the LDBA brings Holland to le Royal, Debayeh!
The LDBA’s Annual Dinner took place on December 14th, 2010, at le Royal Hotel’s Pearl Ballroom. More than 300 dignitaries and guests were seated at tables bearing the names of Dutch cities and towns, and Dutch clogs (klompen) were distributed to all (in miniature, though). Furthermore, Door Prizes were won that included 2 tickets to Holland/Europe offered by KLM/Air France, a Philips LCD TV and a Home Theatre Set, both offered by AZ Electronics, as well as a diamond necklace and diamond ear-rings offered by Nsouli Jewelry (not quite Dutch… but, hey, the diamonds probably came from South Africa… which was once partly Dutch… via Amsterdam!)
The evening was animated by Mr. Raja Rayes and Ms. Bouchra el-Hachem whose diversified music (oldies & newies, soft & dance music, English, French & Spanish) brought the guests to the Dance floor (between speeches…)
For Photos, see same article under: Social Activities.
New Telephone Numbers and Website Address for the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
We have been advised by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands of a change in its telephone numbers and website address, effective as from 29-09-2010.
The new telephone and fax numbers are:
- Main Embassy line 01/211150
- Visa and Consular Information line 01/211175
- Fax 01/211173
- Fax Consular Section 01/211174
- New Website Address : http://lebanon.nlembassy.org
LDBA web site hit by hacker's virus
Due to a virus that hit our site recently, all data pertaining to the LDBA's news and activities during the period 2009/2010 has been wiped out! We apologize to recent visitors who may have thought they'd taken a step back in time (or that we'd done so ourselves...) when they found that our latest news were of... 2008! The problem has been cleared now, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. We have tried to recreate as much as possible of the site's contents, and hope not to have missed any substantial data.
LDBA Board Meeting, July 2010
The LDBA Board held its monthly meeting on July 6, 2010. The meeting discussed current issues pertaining to the LDBA's activities, as well as the finances of 2009, which were reviewed and approved. The Board also discussed the follow up action required in respect of the Memorandum of Agreement between the LDBA and the European Investment Council, which was signed in the Netherlands, during the recent Trade Mission in May, 2010.
Seminar on "Energy From Waste"
The Embassy of The Netherlands invited 4 Dutch Specialists in the field of Waste Management to Lebanon, in order to visit the local Waste Management faciliities, and exchange views with the responsible Lebanese officials, and avail to them the experience that Holland has had in that field during the last few decades. The visit culminated in a day-long seminar at the Rotana Gevinor Hotel on Monday the 1st of March, 2010, hosted by the Embassy, and attended by Minister of Environment Mohammad Rahal, as well as a number of engineers, consultants, and Environmental NGO representatives. The LDBA cosponsored the Seminar, and a large number of its members were present.
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Holiday Wishes
The LDBA would like to wish all its members and friends a very Merry Xmas and a Happy Prosperous New Year.
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