Hannover Messe Trade Fair and the Future Day for SMEs: The Partnering in Business with Germany Programme presents itself to German exporters

The initiative launched by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action to introduce its Partnering in Business with Germany Programme to German businesses is gaining momentum. Two important events took place in Lower Saxony and Berlin in April that highlighted the advantages of this foreign trade promotion instrument – an ideal opportunity to speak to German companies.

17.04.2025

The Hannover Messe Trade Fair counts more than 130,000 visitors and over 4,000 exhibitors and is the world’s largest industry trade fair. It is accompanied by numerous events such as the Foreign Trade Day in Lower Saxony that took place on 2 April this year and was entitled “Transformation of the Export Economy”. The Partnering in Business with Germany Foreign Trade Programme had its own stand at the fair and used the opportunity to present its services to companies from Lower Saxony.

Dr Christian Werwath from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Housing and Digitalisation of Lower Saxony noted that the Programme was very customised to the requirements of local SMEs: “Partnering in Business with Germany specifically promotes the internationalisation of German SMEs and therefore fits very well with our funding instruments. Given the numerous international conflicts, foreign trade has become a real challenge for companies in Lower Saxony. This is why the Programme fits perfectly with our times. We can diversify our markets in a targeted manner and thus strengthen the resilience of companies in Lower Saxony in times of turbulence.”

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Panel discussion at the BMWK booth: Moderator, Ulrich Niemann, Xenia Troniarsky, Linda von Delhaes-Guenther, Maria Inés Díaz (from left to right) ©GIZ/Rolf Klatt

Faces of the Programme

Visitors of the Hannover Messe trade fair came to the same conclusion. They saw the efficiency and versatility of the Programme when listening to a panel discussion at the Ministry’s stand. A German and a Chilean entrepreneur described their experiences. Xenia Troniarsky, an entrepreneur from the ITGroup Europe from Baden-Württemberg, that develops application-specific measurement and automation technology for the manufacturing industry, gave an impressive description of how she came into contact with a Mexican entrepreneur during a visit by a delegation from the Partnering in Business with Germany Programme and how, within two years, a business deal developed into a joint venture.

The Chilean biotechnology entrepreneur Maria Inés Díaz also had a ground-breaking experience with Partnering in Business with Germany in 2022. She has since provided support to former Chilean participants of the Programme who wish to network with German companies. Voices of female entrepreneurs helped to explain how the Programme works at a personal level.

Ulrich Niemann, the Head of Division responsible for the Programme at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and Linda von Delhaes-Guenther, CEO of AHP International, a Business Development Centre that is in charge of the programme execution, confirm that cooperation between companies works best “face-to-face”. And this is what Partnering in Business with Germany is all about: potential business partners with specific business ideas visit German companies in order to explore new business opportunities. Mr Niemann also stressed that this service is basically provided free of charge and “is not much of an effort for the participating German companies who can only benefit from the Programme.”

©GIZ/Rolf Klatt

Voices of the Programme

In addition to corporate delegations from India, Chile, Kazakhstan and South Africa, which participated in the fair as part of the Programme, there was also a Mexican group with a focus on Industry 4.0. The delegation consisted of 14 managing directors and senior managers representing companies of various sizes and sectors – including mechanical engineering, automation technology, industrial services and software development. The participating companies ranged from small businesses with fewer than ten employees to medium-sized companies with up to 117 employees. They took advantage of the trade fair to hold almost 40 B2B discussions.

The Future Day for SMEs in Berlin

The 2025 Future Day for SMEs is the biggest SME event in Germany. On 9 April, more than 6,000 guests and 150 exhibitors celebrated the 50th anniversary of the BVMW (German Confederation of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) entitled “Werte &Wohlstand” (“Values & Prosperity”). Key topics that will concern small and medium-sized businesses in the future were discussed on several stages. Renowned speakers shared their insights, while participants used the opportunity for intensive networking. Partnering in Business with Germany (PG) presented its vast array of services to German companies. The many individual inquiries and discussions showed how German companies can benefit from participating in the PG Programme. “This proven foreign trade promotion programme is tailor-made for medium-sized companies. Take advantage of it and register!”, stressed Ulrich Niemann.

Teaser photo: ©GIZ/Darya Danilova

Learn how German and Mexican business partners evaluate their conversations:

Francisco Josué Dorl Artaza CEO at the software development company Projektron GmbH in Berlin made the following conclusion after speaking with programme participant Eduardo Ortiz Ramirez, CEO of We Are The Robots Inc in Mexico:

“Internationalisation is the biggest challenge for German family businesses. We focus on the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and this keeps us very busy. Due to our Chilean background we are also particularly interested in building up a customer base in Latin America.

The Partnering in Business for Germany Programme provides an excellent opportunity for a direct exchange with that region and for exploring the market in Latin America from afar with reasonable effort. In addition, you also get to learn some very nice people. First and foremost we hope that this event helps us gain our first clients for Latin America. The relationship may then even become a deeper partnership in a second stage, so that regional networks in Latin America could learn about Projektron BCS.”

Foto: ©DIBeratung

Mariana Polke, Account Executive at the software development Cybus GmbH from Hamburg was impressed by her exchange with José Pablo Antunez, Commercial & Logistic Manager at LYTICS, Mexico

“Conversations with the participants were open, focussed and technically sound. We were particularly impressed by the clear interest in applied industrial IoT solutions and the understanding of the challenges of data integration in manufacturing.

In the long term we see an opportunity – together with new partners – to establish Connectware as a standard solution for industrial connectivity in new markets. The participants provide a valuable understanding of the market and access to manufacturing companies whilst we contribute technology and know-how for scalable, secure data infrastructure in the industrial IoT. At the same time, we offer an exchange of experience for the European, and in particular for the German market.”

Foto: ©DIBeratung

Eduardo Moreno Yta, Business Development Manager at the Mexican Telebyte company reflects on his conversation with Thomas Naczenski, CEO of Autosen GmbH, manufacturer of automation and sensor technology in Essen

“The initial meeting went very well. We established a strong rapport and identified clear synergies from the start. We plan to formalise the partnership and explore scalable collaborations in the coming quarter. One of the key steps that helped me achieve these results was participating in the German business culture training, as part of the Partnering in Business with Germany programme, which proved especially valuable in understanding negotiation norms and expectations for clear, precise communication.”

Foto: ©GIZ/Darya Danilova