In January, Mike Skelton, Director of the Mayor’s Office of
International Business, attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las
Vegas to prospect for foreign companies looking to establish a U.S. operation.
CES is the world’s largest exhibition for consumer products. This four-day
event attracts over 175,000 people each year to see more than 3,800 exhibitors
show off their latest product innovations. More than 30% of the attendees were
from foreign countries, and several country pavilions at the show housed
hundreds of foreign based companies. Skelton met with companies from France,
Germany, Israel, China and Taiwan. 

Skelton was also invited to speak at a reception hosted by
Provence Promotion (Marseille, France), one of Richardson’s overseas economic
development partners, who brought a delegation of 30 Provence area high-tech
companies.  He explained to the gathering
how the two organizations work to help each other’s companies expand their
business to each other’s market. Skelton also arranged for 15 Dallas-area tech
companies attending CES to participate in the Provence reception and meet with
the French delegation companies.