An outward trade mission involves a group of local business persons (usually exporters, but it could comprise importers or investors), that travel abroad to meet with the business community in a particular foreign country. As with inward trade missions, they can be arranged on the initiative of either side, but export missions are usually initiated from the exporting country.

While trade missions are common and take place fairly regularly, they do not take place every week or even every month. You may find that there are only four or five trade missions (inward and outward) per year. You need to be alert to these missions, scanning the business sections or newspapers, reading the newsletters of chambers and trade associations, and keeping an eye on the DTI’s home page.