New
York,
June 10,
2010 - The
French
Trade
Commission,
or
UBIFRANCE,
co-hosted
with
Veranda
Magazine,
a panel
discussion
on June
21,
2010, at
6PM,
atop the
Hearst
building
in New
York
City.
Esteemed
guest
speakers
from six
leading
French
companies
having
strong
US
divisions,
shared
their
expertise
in their
relative
fields,
and
educated
the
audience
about
their
experiences
on the
US
market.
Audience
members
included
30
French
companies
participating
in the
MAISON
FRANCE
exhibition,
most of
which
are new
to the
US
market,
and
eager to
learn
how best
to
succeed.
Panelists
included:
Claudette
Blackwood,
PR
Director
for Bernardaud North
American;
Robert
Couturier,
President
of Robert
Couturier
and
Associates;
Pierre
Frey, US
National
Sales
Director
of Pierre
Frey textiles,
Antoine
Roset,
Executive
Vice
President
of Ligne
Roset;
Heather
Ryan,
Managing
Director
of Grange
Furniture,
Inc.; and
Jean
Wiart,
President
and
Founder
ofL-M-C
Corporation.
The
moderator
of this
panel
will be
Carolyn
Englefield,
Editor-at-Large
for
Veranda
Magazine.
Among
the
topics
discussed
were the
following:
1) How
important
is the
term
"Made in
France"
to the
'marketing/selling'
of your
collections?
2) How
(if at
all) is
your
product
marketed
differently
in the
United
States
with
regards
to the
rest of
your
export
markets?
3) Tell
us about
the
American
consumer,
your
clientele,
and how
they
differ
from
say, a
French
consumer?
4) Were
your
respective
businesses
impacted
by the
economic
crisis
of
2008-2010
and how
is your
company
working
to get
that
luxury
customer
back?
5) Would
you say
that the
New York
metropolitan
area is
your
'most
important'
market
in the
U.S? If
not,
please
explain
and
which
other
regions
are
surprising
you?
6) How
important
are your
Marketing/Advertising
budgets
in the
US
market
and do
you
notice a
direct
correlation
between
your
various
Marketing
expenditures,
such as
Special
Events,
Press
Campaigns,
Advertising
campaigns
and your
sales?
7) What
advice
would
you give
luxury
brands
and/or
skilled
artisans
from
France
who are
looking
to
develop
their
'activity'
on the
US
market?