A Welsh welcome

June 6, 2007 - 6:57 AM by

I was on my way round the Biomed exhibition in Tel Aviv yesterday when in amongst the stands advertising new biotech developments from America, Italy and Israel, I came across a booth from Wales. International Business Wales the sign read proudly, with a picture of a Welsh dragon thrown in for good measure.  

“What’s a Welsh company doing at an exhibition in Israel?” I asked the man standing at the booth. “Doing business with Israel,” the man, who introduced himself as Chris Davies of the Welsh Assembly Government, replied with an amused smile. It clearly wasn’t the first time he’d been asked this question. 

“We help companies with trade between Wales and Israel and are looking to assist Israeli high tech companies gain a foothold in Europe. This isn’t our first visit. This is the fourth year in a row we’ve come. We already have two Israeli companies who’ve set up business in Wales and they’re doing really well. “Actually,” Chris – a Welshman by birth, added: “We normally have a much larger presence, but this year when we came to book a stand the exhibition was already sold out [6,000 people came to this year's Biomed Israel exhibition compared to just 4,000 last year]. The organisers know me so well though, that they managed to squeeze me in here.” 

He waved at the small stand behind him. “You’ll notice the English aren’t here,” he continued, with a sudden glint in his eye.   

He laughed wickedly. “Wales and Israel have a lot of similarities,” he said. “We’re almost exactly the same size, almost to the acre. And the Welsh people are very much like the Israelis, warm and welcoming people. But the neighbours? Hmm. Better left unsaid.”
  

 

 

Tags: • Category: General 

Comments

Leave a Comment





© 2012 ISRAELITY | Site by illuminea | Sitemap