More than 1,000 people attended the first-ever event bringing together Atlanta‘s bi-national chambers of commerce on the evening of July 21.
The inaugural Global Connect, a networking soiree sponsored by Delta Air Lines Inc., exceeded expectations on more fronts than attendance, said Ray Gilbert, executive director of the British-American Business Group, one of the main organizers.
Thirty of Atlanta’s 38 international chambers – from Poland and France to Ecuador and Brazil – lined exhibit space in the Grand Atrium at 200 Peachtree. Organizations and companies from various industries also set up booths. Four solid hours of networking were interrupted only by brief remarks and an airline ticket giveaway.
Mr. Gilbert was pleasantly surprised by the success of the food area, a separate room where local restaurants offered tastes from around the world, from Argentine chocolates to British sausages and Haitian mangoes.Mr. Gilbert was also pleased at the collaboration among chambers to create a new brand of networking event they hope will lead to real business ties.
“It was a great way to galvanize the international community,” he told GlobalAtlanta.
While it’s too early to have catalogued the lessons learned, the initial event was such a success that organizers are already considering hosting it twice a year in the future, Mr. Gilbert said.
Delta played a key role in the event, giving away two business-class tickets to any destination across the Atlantic Ocean.
Having recently celebrated its 70th anniversary in Atlanta, the airline was happy to thank the chambers that draw people from around the world to its hometown, David Bishko, managing director for Latin America, said in a brief speech.
Known as a regional airline for most of its history, a shift in focus toward international routes eight years ago has given Delta a broader reach and has turned it into one of the world’s largest carriers, Mr. Bishko said.
“We’re the No. 1 carrier to Japan, we’ve got the two largest Chinese carriers as our partners and we’re the No. 1 U.S. carrier to Africa. Delta loves being international, and we love seeing everybody here tonight,” he said.
Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall praised the event’s organizers and attendees.
“This is what we should be doing in our city. It is an international city, but we need to put you at the forefront,” Mr. Hall said.
Global Connect was organized mainly by the British-American Business Group, the French-American Chamber of Commerce and the South African-American Chamber of Commerce.
For more information and listings of participating organizations and sponsors, click here.
