http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/qld-businesses-ch...

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/qld-businesses-chase-beijing-gold/2008/08/10/1218306653735.html

LD businesses chase Beijing gold

A bee keeper and a pilot trainer are among five small Brisbane business owners seeking business gold in Beijing.

Among 12 small firms from across Australia travelling to Beijing to secure contacts and foster relationships with their Chinese counterparts, Superbee Honey Factory manager Christian Kath and Flight Training Australia general manager Gary Young will have the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the world's biggest corporate players, courtesy of Austrade.

Ms Kath said Superbee hoped to increase export sales, which currently account for 25 per cent of the manufacturer's total sales revenue.

"We now hope to develop a strong market for our branded retail packs rather than build on the bulk commodity trade," Ms Kath said.

Already supplying their bulk and retail packaged honey to multi-national companies including Masterfoods, Sanitarium, Bidvest and PFD, an lucrative deal in China would "sweeten the deal", Mr Kath said.

Austrade - the Australian Trade Commission - is hosting a series of events to bring together more than 3000 Australian and Chinese bussinesspeople, in a bid to further the small business exports to China.

Small or medium sized enterprises currently account for 90 per cent of Australian exporters, according the Australian Bureau of Statistics, with more than 3,000 Australian businesses having a physical presence onshore in China.

The networking events in Beijing and Guangzhou include a gala to coincide with the closing ceremony, new products launch, and a clean energy mission.

Other Brisbane-based companies taking part are Indigo Technologies, which has produced a device to halve emissions from coal-fired power stations, and DMA Group Architects.

"As demand for tourism based facilities grows in China over the next 20 years, we hope to be the company developers turn to," DMA Group Architect's principal David Mills said.

"Coming from Queensland, we have a strategic advantage over European and American based architects because of our experience in creating water based tourism facilities."

The big guns of business have also travelled to Beijing to network their way towards profitable contracts.

Queensland's richest man Clive Palmer has flown a group of high-powered business contacts to the Olympic city; the iron ore magnate has struck lucrative deals with the Chinese Government, and will no doubt use networking opportunities generated by the Games to drum up business.

Andrew Forrest of Fortescue Metals, Qantas boss Geoff Dixon, Sol Trujillo from Telstra and Kim Williams from Foxtel are also among the Australian big-wigs going for gold.