Made in Estonia export conference discussed key questions of Estonian export
Where does money come from? On a micro level, there are several local answers to this question, but on a macroeconomic level, money mainly originates from export – therefore, the welfare of Estonian export should concern everyone because it forms more than 75% of the Estonian GDP. What is the current situation of Estonian export? This question was elaborated on at the Made in Estonia export conference organised by Enterprise Estonia, the Estonian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Swedbank on 29 October.
The export conference, which took place for the third time, was slightly different this year due to the current circumstances. In line with the times, it was held as a hybrid conference, which allowed more entrepreneurs to participate in discussions thanks to a video link. We gathered together the brightest presenters and talked about export as it is in the extraordinary year 2020.
The coronavirus crisis, which caught us unaware this spring, has not given any of us much time to think. Nearly all of the countries in the world are trying to come up with clever ways to restore their export volumes. As a result, we are facing even tighter competition on the world market in terms of attractive export markets. The winners are those who are able to put their ability to adapt and the national support network into the best use.
Many companies have managed to continue their export activities at a very impressive level during this difficult year. Here, the services of Enterprise Estonia have also played an important role. The volume of consultations offered by us in the first half of the year has increased by nearly a third YoY and the number of advised companies on Asian markets has grown by a total of 45%.
The coronavirus crisis is at the start of success stories of many companies. As a partner of Enterprise Estonia, former BBC TV journalist Steve Rawling has worked with a great number of Estonian companies and used the conference as an opportunity to talk about how to transform the lessons learned from the coronavirus crisis into stories and tell them in a convincing manner.
Just like in other world countries that are focusing on supporting the economy, the Estonian government’s support for companies is also important – i.e. how to direct resources into the right sectors as quickly as possible in order to enjoy their benefits even after the crisis. Estonia mainly focuses on participation in the digital and green transitions. Viljar Lubi, Deputy Secretary General of Economic Development at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, spoke at the conference about how the Estonian government can contribute to the growth ambitions of enterprises interested in export. Additionally, the conference included the latest information from Enterprise Estonia’s export advisers and practical experience stories from seasoned export entrepreneurs.
Enterprise Estonia’s mission in co-organising the conference is clear – the Estonian economy develops via export and Enterprise Estonia has an important role in facilitating economic growth. Despite the crisis, there are export opportunities all over the world, and Enterprise Estonia has increased its support in order to help companies find and realise export opportunities. To this end, we have export advisers, growth programmes, the Asia Information Centre, trade fairs, master classes, intellectual property services, export partner search, a programme for involving international experts and more.
See the Made in Estonia website and the conference gallery.
Made in Estonia conference is funded by the European Regional Development Fund.