This morning I woke early and headed out for a brisk walk. The weather was chilly and damp, drizzling rain and quite dreary here. Our hotel is about six blocks from the park where the photo was taken yesterday, which is adjacent to the king’s palace as well as the US Embassy. I was told this park is one of the safest places in the city due to its location among official headquarters, and that many of the park visitors are often police officers.
Today’s lectures were presented by an enthusiastic expert in export marketing, Dr. Koen Vanheusden, who works for the Belgium Foreign Agency for Trade. The topic of learning for the day was Logistical, Banking, and Contract Issues of Export Marketing with Europe. It was all so very interesting and applicable for consideration and execution of exporting goods to the EU. In speaking with Dr. Vanheusden after class, I learned that his agency consults with international companies who are considering or in the process of exporting to the EU as well as other continents. He is a great future resource and provided his contact information. I value this learning as an additional component to my tool box as an entrepreneur and in working with organizations interested in this area of development. It is definitely a crash course and I would have been lost if not for my previous MBA coursework and real life experience and understanding of marketing.
It was a lot of material to cover in six hours, but an exceptional value! Our group met for a short time after class. One of our group members has already started market research. Each team member brings a different value to the team and I have a good feeling we will do well on the final presentation!
Once again, Europe seems to be a bit ahead in efforts to conserve and function more sustainably. In some super markets in the US you can receive a discount for every grocery bag you bring of your own to bag your purchases. At the market on the corner down from our hotel here in Brussels, you are charged .05 Euros for every bag you need for your purchases. This is equivalent to about $.07. Hmmm… I didn’t think to pack my reusable grocery bags for this trip!
Another option that I understand is available in many European cities, is bike rental in the city!. You simply swipe your credit card to release a bike from the rack for your use, ride it to your destination and return it to the closest stand where you swipe your card again to finalize the transaction and confirm return of the bike. The rider has no maintenance of the bike, can ride as much or as little as desired, and doesn’t he have to worry about storage, parking, or risk of it being stolen! This could be an entrepreneurial opportunity!
Our group is taking a train to Antwerp this evening. Antwerp is the diamond capital of the world and I have been told this is an outing not to miss!
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