Our Clients
In servicing these global clients, Ifor Ffowcs-Williams has undertaken a wide range of asignments. These have included presentations to Ministers, to multilateral, national and regional development agencies, and to business groups, clusters and industry associations.
Some workshops and presentations have explored the roles of government, universities, technology transfer agencies and local government in cluster development. Others have introduced the relevance of cluster-based economic development and the practicalities of cluster engagement. Strategy workshops have been held with many clusters.
Clients from well over fifty countries have attended the cluster training workshops that Ifor runs;
New Zealand
- The Treasury, Wellington ‘The Role of Government in Cluster Development: A Practical Guide’
- Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- Local Government Association, Wellington
- Australia New Zealand Regional Science International conference, Manukau City: ‘Cluster development: Neither myth nor magic, but core to the regional economic development mix’
- New Zealand Trade & Enterprise annual cluster conferences, Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Takapuna, and Wellington: Comparing and learning from the development of clusters in NZ and internationally’,
- Maori Fisheries national conference ‘Competitive Co-operation’
- Wairarapa Economic Summit ‘Collaborating to Compete’
- Business Grow National Conference Clusters and Networks
- Regional cluster development: engineering (Nelson); film (Auckland); sport horses (South Auckland) Food produce (Hawkes Bay); defence, call centers, education and IT (Manawatu); education, electronics, IT, apparel (Christchurch) and biotech, engineering, education (Dunedin) engineering (South Waikato)
Europe
UK and Ireland
Scotland’s Forestry Cluster, Foundation research and participation at First Annual Conference (see project example)
Scottish Enterprise, Glasgow
Enterprise Ireland, Dublin: ‘Cooperating to Compete’
Irish Marine Institute, Dublin
InterTrade Ireland, Newry: ‘Cluster development: What, Why &How’
Centre for Competitiveness, Belfast: ‘Private Sector Driven Cluster Development’
Welsh Development Agency, Cardiff
Wales Woodland Forum, Newtown: ‘Clusters, and adding value to timber’
South East England Development Agency, Guildford
SEEDA, Cobham, Surrey: ‘Private Sector Driven Cluster Development’
UK Regional Development Agencies Cluster Workshop, Milton Keynes:‘Putting Clusters into Practice’
Mindshop European Conference, Heathrow Airport: ‘Cluster Development: The Role of Consultants’
Scandinavia
Denmark
Cluster Excellence Denmark on Zealand, Copenhagen
REG LAB, Copenhagen V
Finland
Initiating the Northern Clustering Alliance, Silverskär, Åland, Finland
Competitiveness Forum, Helsinki: ‘The Role of National Agencies in Fostering Local Economic Development: A Global Perspective’
Tekes, Helsinki: ‘Cluster development: What, Why & How’
Iceland
Growth Agreement launches, Akureyri and Isafjord, Iceland: ‘Clusters & Economic Development’
IceTec, Reykjavik
Nordic Science Parks Conference, Reykjavik: ‘Linking Clusters, Technology Parks and Incubators’
Norway
Norwegian Industrial and Regional Development Bank, Oslo
Norway regional workshops: wood cluster (Hedmark); biotech (Tromsø); creative industries (Lillehammer)
Innovation Norway, Arena Cluster Conference, Hamar ‘International Perspectives on Cluster Development’
Lillehammer Campus, Norway ‘Cluster Based Economic Development’
Sweden
VINNOVA, Stockholm
Nutek, Stockholm ‘Clustering: The Relevance, and the How’
Piteå, Sweden economic development conference: ‘National Cluster Programmes: Commonalities, Differences’
The Competitiveness Institutes’ Annual Conference, Gothenburg: Conference President, and Pre-conference cluster development workshop
Continental Europe
OECD Ministerial Conference on SMEs, Bologna: ‘Clustering Policy: A Practitioner’s Perspective’
The Competitiveness Institutes’ Annual Conference, Varese, Italy
OECD/DATAR conference, Paris: ‘Clusters: a focus for building social capital’
The Competitiveness Institutes’ Annual Conference, Barcelona, Spain
OECD, Trento, Italy, ‘Local Development and Governance in Central, East and South-East Europe’; Chairperson, forum on ‘Financing Local Development’.
Central and Eastern Europe
OECD Ministerial Conference on SMEs, Bologna: The Competitiveness Institutes’ Annual Conference, Varese, Italy
UNIDO, Vienna: ‘Practicalities of Cluster Development’
CzechInvest, Prague: ‘Companies & Clusters: Why & How’ see project example
Regional Cluster Workshops: Moravia-Silesia, Čelákovice, South Moravia/Vysočina, Valtice, Liberec, Pilsen/South Bohemia, Prague and Bruno
CERMA, Tbilisi, Georgia: ‘Competitiveness, Clusters & Networks’
Americas
Canada, Ontario
Industry Canada, Ottawa, Ontario: Cluster ‘Development: International Best Practices’
Competia, Ottawa, Ontario
The Commonwealth Secretariat, Ottawa
The Competitiveness Institutes’ Annual Conference, Ottawa: ‘Pre-conference Cluster Development Workshop’
Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Toronto, Ontario: ‘The Role of Government in Local Clustering: A Practical Guide’
Quinte Economic Developers regional meeting (Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs), Trenton, Ontario
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency/Industry Canada/National Research Council, St John’s, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island: ‘Cluster Development’
BayBYTES Rural Technology Forum, Newfoundland: ‘From New Zealand to Newfoundland and Labrador: Small Communities with Global Reach’
ACOA/New Brunswick Government/Community Economic Development Agencies, Moncton, New Brunswick: ‘Business Growth & Cluster Development’
Nova Scotia Association of Regional Development Agencies, Halifax
USA
US Department of Commerce, Washington DC
World Bank, Washington DC : ‘Clusters at the Local Level’
Department of Economic Development, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: ‘Cluster Development in Louisiana: The new competitive agenda’
Department of Agriculture, Medford, Oregon: ‘Wealth Creation Through Clustering’
The Competitiveness Institutes’ conference, Tucson, Arizona: Pre-conference Cluster Development Workshop
Mexico
Cluster Practitioners Conference (organised by the World Bank and Scottish Enterprise) Chihuahua, Mexico
World Bank, Chihuahua, Mexico
TCI Cluster Annual Conference, Monterrey, Mexico 2014
Caribbean
Tourism & Industrial Development Company of Trinidad & Tobago (TIDCO), Port of Spain, Trinidad: ‘Clusters as a focus for investment attraction and export development’
Trinidad cluster development: Regional Head Offices; Plastics, Paper & Packaging; IT; and Services.
Africa
South Africa
Department of Trade & Industry, Pretoria
South African Cane Growers Association, Umngazi
South African Sugar Association, Durban
South Africa, regional cluster development: tourism in Khayelitsha, Magaliesburg, Fish River & Valley of The Olifants; wool/textiles and IT, Cape Town.
Cape Information Technology Initiative, Cape Town see project example
Rest of Africa
National Productivity & Competitiveness Council, Port Louis, Mauritius: Presentations to Ministers and businesses ‘The Management of Clusters’
Bagamoyo (Tanzania) and Jinja (Uganda) Cluster training workshops see project example
University of Dar es Salam, Tanzania: ‘Innovative Systems & Innovation Clusters’
Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda: ‘Innovative Clusters: Role of Universities
’World Bank, Kenya: ‘Stepping into the Future’
National Strategy Office, Office of the President, Government of Botswana, Gaborone
Middle East
Dubai Development and Investment Agency, UAE: ‘Cluster Development: The What, Why & How’
Asia
Prime Ministers Department, Putrajaya, Malaysia: ‘Collaborative Engagements for Rural Development’
Silk Industry Forum, Phnom Penh, Cambodia: ‘Developing Cambodia’s Silk Cluster’
IFC, Dhaka, Bangladesh: ‘Linking Clusters & Competitiveness’ see project example
UNIDO, Shenzhen, China: ‘The Experience of Australia and New Zealand in the Promotion of Innovative and Learning City-Regions’
Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP), Bangkok, Thailand ‘Clusters and SME Development’
The Competitiveness Institutes’ Conference, Hong Kong: Pre-conference cluster development workshop
Australia
Australian Capital Territory
AusIndustry, Canberra
Ministerial presentations
New South Wales
Department of State & Regional Development, Sydney: ‘Clusters & Networks: An International Perspective’
Industry Development Corporation, Newcastle
Australia New Zealand Regional Science Association conference, Newcastle ‘Accelerating the Development of Local Clusters’
Community Economic Development Conference, Batemans Bay, NSW:‘From Small Clusters, Big Things Grow’
Department of State and Regional development, Regional Development Boards Chairs Meeting, Parliament, Sydney: ‘Clusters, Regional Development & Investment Attraction’
Australia New Zealand Regional Science Association practitioner’s workshop, Sydney: ‘Collaborative Networks in Local Economic Development’
Regional cluster development: forestry (Pilliga-Goonoo); primary industries (Eden) and Deniliquen
Northern Territory
Desert Knowledge Australia, Alice Springs: ‘Teams without Borders’
Department of the Chief Minister, Darwin: ‘Developing Darwin’s Tropical Knowledge Cluster’
Northern Territory Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development, Darwin: ‘Clusters … A cornerstone for economic development’
Regional cluster development in Alice Springs for mining services, tourism, bush foods, sustainable building and IT clusters; in Darwin for IT.
Queensland
Cairns region economic development Council
Gulf Savannah Development, Cairns
Department of State Development, Brisbane
The Competitiveness Institutes’ Annual Conference, Cairns
Rural Outlook Conference, Cooktown
Department of Primary Industry, Brisbane
Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia conferences: Sunshine Coast and Rockhampton
Australia New Zealand Regional Science Association International, Gold Coast conference: ‘Clusters & Networks’
State Development, Queensland (incl. Gladstone, Emerald, Stockport, Logan, Hervey Bay)
Central Highlands Development Corporation, Emerald: ‘Developing Emerald’s Clusters’
Regional cluster development: coal servicing, IT and Education (Mackay); mining services and tourism (Mount Isa); primary industry (Bundaberg); engineering (Gladstone); tourism (Hervey Bay); IT (Gold Coast); horticulture (Sunshine Coast): engineering, food products and amenity horticulture (Logan); Rockhampton (engineering);
Brisbane City Council
Tasmania
Victoria
Australia New Zealand Regional Science Association conference, Hobart: ‘From a national to a local focus: New Zealand’s learning curve’
Department of Innovation, Industry & Regional Development, Melbourne
Rural Towns Conference, Bendigo, Victoria
Centre for Regional Innovation & Competitiveness, University of Ballarat, Cluster Conference. Keynote speaker, Practitioners Panel
Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia Conference, Ballarat,
Cities of Victoria
Department of State Development, Melbourne: ‘The Role of Government in Cluster development: A Practical Guide’
La Trobe City, Victoria
City of Greater Dandenong, Victoria
Regional cluster development: surf (Torquay); marine (Mornington Peninsula: ‘Marine Clusters and their Development’; equine and engineering clusters (Dandenong: ‘Latest Developments in Business Clusters’); food products (Whittlesea and Hume) trout (Murrindindi)
Western Australia
PKF Global conference, Perth
Australia New Zealand Regional Science Association conference, Hobart
Regional cluster development: mining services, tourism, and bush produce, Kalgoorlie