Going Global event update

Going Global event update

Thank you to everybody who joined us at this year’s ‘Going Global’ event.  We hope you enjoyed it.

Marking the culmination of one of the busiest times in the year for the cotton trade, this year’s event attracted more than 520 delegates, representing 45 countries.
Hosted by ICA President, Cliff White and held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and St George’s Hall in Liverpool, UK on 30 September and 1 October 2010, the two-day event provided an ideal opportunity for delegates to network and focus on the international business of cotton with other leading industry professionals.
Speaking after the event, Cliff said: “I think everyone will agree that this year’s event will be remembered for a host of different reasons, but clearly the confidence in our industry has recovered and we can look to the future with a renewed sense of optimism. ‘Going Global’ was the theme and I believe the ICA really lived up to that description with the international gathering and the presentations and, let us not forget, we have decided to host a conference in Dubai in March 2011 and made the historic decision to hold our first annual trade dinner meeting outside of the UK in Hong Kong in 2012.”

The presentations

The event began with an ICA presentation ‘The State of Play’ on Thursday afternoon. The session focused on the ICA’s advanced arbitration training – due to go live in March 2011, our proposed new membership structure and our future plans. On Friday morning, the presentations continued with a US industry update from Jordan Lea – President, ACSA; a look at Turkish market conditions with Ertugrul Tanriverdi – Vice President, Ensar Tekstil and an insight into some of the global sustainability issues that confront our industry from Chris Brett – Senior Vice President, Olam Europe.

The networking opportunities

With networking a key element of the event, we introduced a new feature on Thursday evening – a welcome cocktail reception, where more than 250 delegates joined us for canapés and a glass of ‘fizz’ in the Crowne Plaza.Friday’s networking lunch and gala dinner also provided further opportunities for delegates to socialise and network.

The gala dinner

On Friday evening delegates and guests enjoyed dinner and drinks at the magnificent St George’s Hall, where former City market analyst and economist, Conor Woodman, shared his global trading experiences in an after-dinner speech that recounted his ‘Around the World in 80 Trades’ adventure. Guests were also treated to a surprise operatic interlude from our singing waiters. Then it was back to the Crowne Plaza for an after-dinner party, where guests continued to socialise and were entertained by Mike Powell – winner of the UK’s hit TV show, ‘Stars in their Eyes’.
 

We would like to passon our sincere thanks to all our event sponsors.