By Jonathan Black

Texas business executives are rushing to participate in this year’s Texas-EU Business Summit. Now in its tenth year, the summit is the state’s premier forum for connecting businesses, entrepreneurs, and economic development agencies with trade representatives from nations of the European Union. The EU offers Texas business a market of more than 450 million people with a combined economy of $15 trillion, encompassing many different markets, needs, and comparative advantages.

Beginning with our ten years an independent republic, Texas has always been outward-looking. Today, we pursue trading relationships more aggressively than any other state. This is a key reason Texas has been America’s largest exporter for almost two decades, exporting $279 billion in 2019. The Texas-European relationship is a cornerstone of our economic success and the Texas-EU Business Summit provides businesses and entrepreneurs with the knowledge and connections to grow the partnership further.  The Summit is not only for corporations or large businesses, in 2016 small and medium-sized business accounted for 39.9% of all Texas exports.

After a year off due to the global shutdown, the Summit is back with an online preview event on May 11th from 9:30am – 1:00pm CT. Attendees will be briefed on the business climate and opportunities within key EU markets and sectors. They will also have the opportunity to interact and make connections with European trade representatives. Highlights of the event include:

An examination of EU market access, focusing on the robust economies of Western and Central Europe; A discussion of the future-defining healthcare and cleantech sectors in the context of Texas-EU trade; and an exploration of “The New Digital Humanism,” offering a European perspective on tech companies on both sides of the Atlantic.

A Year Unlike Any Other: Organizing the 2021 Summit

Canceled out of an abundance of caution in 2020, the Texas-EU Business Summit is back in 2021 with a flexible format responsive to uncertainties about the pandemic’s trajectory. When the pandemic took effect in March of last year, and the summit scheduled for May, organizers felt there simply wasn’t enough time to move the event online while ensuring participants enjoyed the high quality experience they have come to expect.

Looking at 2021, while hoping the summit could occur, organizers realized the picture for May would be complex. While the vaccination process would be well under way, many people would not yet have been immunized and it was plausible the number of new cases could still be too high to allow and in-person event.

The response was to split this year’s event. Honoring the summit’s traditional schedule, a virtual mini-summit will be held on May 11th, followed by a larger in-person event set for September 21, 2021. 

The May 11th Texas EU-Business Summit preview’s confirmed speakers and registration are available at www.texaseusummit.org