Historic AccessChina'16 trade trip to Shanghai takes flight

History will be made this weekend as the first international passenger flight out of the Brisbane West Wellcamp airport leaves with more than 200 delegates bound for Shanghai.

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise AccessChina project leader Dr Ben Lyons said the trip would be one that delegates and residents would look back on and say “we were there”.

The program for AccessChina’16 has been released, detailing speakers, the first day conference and a range of site tours.

A gala dinner on Monday night sponsored by Qantas Freight and a barbecue cocktail evening sponsored by NAB Agribusiness will be held on the Wednesday night to complement to daily sessions.

Dr Lyons, who is also CEO of Food Leaders Australia (FLA) said the flight was the realisation of the region’s capability.

“This is part of our region’s new potential being realised. We had the infrastructure built and we have the airport capability so now we’re putting that to use,” Dr Lyons said.

“This Sunday will be a snapshot in time where the entrepreneurial spirit in our region grabs hold of this initiative and doesn’t sit back and wait for the market to come to them.”

More than 200 delegates will take off on the Qantas A330 flight at 10.30am on Sunday on the five-day AccessChina’16 delegation.

Dr Lyons said this journey to Asia was the start of many business export plans.

“In the past some businesses have relied on a middle-man or a trader but this trip will give them the knowledge and inside understanding of where their product could go and what that process is,” Dr Lyons said.

“We’ve got everyone from Martin Place bankers to Pittsworth Confectionery, so in essence we’re taking people that have worked on multi-million-dollar infrastructure investment deals to small family businesses.

“What a great story for the region, to see locally-made products value-added into china markets.

“We’re empowering small to medium-sized enterprises to see for themselves where their products fit within the Asian market.

Dr Lyons said businesses could not sit back and wait for the market to come to them.

“This is not an option and TSBE and FLA are confident this is the first of many opportunities for producers and delegates in the future as we look to provide direct access to the market,” he said.

“By showing the most innovative and cutting-edge Chinese companies and taking delegates through site tours we are doing just what we said we would: giving people unique access to China with insight into the region.

“To put a regional delegation of this size together makes a statement that this is a 'can do' region.

“It shows the capability of this region, that there are so many local businesses on this trip that has also attracted people from other parts of Australia.

Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport developer John Wagner said AccessChina’16 had created another huge milestone for the airport.

“In a few weeks Cathay Pacific Airways will start operating an international weekly scheduled air cargo service between Toowoomba and Hong Kong," Mr Wagner said.

“We are on the cusp of some ground-breaking opportunities and to create strong links with the world’s biggest consumer market, through an opportunity like AccessChina, is invaluable."

The AccessChina’16 delegation has been made possible with support from major sponsor Zhongfu Group, and AccessChina’16 partners ANZ, Asialink Business, EFIC, Hopgood Ganim Lawyers and University of Southern Queensland.

Photo credit: Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise AccessChina project leader Dr Ben Lyons (left) and Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport developer John Wagner are excited to see the Qantas flight QF6129 appear on the airports Arrivals screen this Sunday. 

For media enquiries contact TSBE media and communications officer Elouise Quinlivan on 4639 4600.