A unique doubles match took place at the World Badminton Championships in Copenhagen, where the Danish water industry met representatives from Asia to talk trade. The Confederation of Danish Industry (DI), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and the sustainability-focused non-profit State of Green came together at the World Badminton Championships – hosted by Copenhagen in August 2023. At the event, the organisations aimed to strengthen trade co-operation between Denmark and several Asian countries, as a case study released by the Copenhagen Convention Bureau has demonstrated. The motivations behind the move came from Danish companies’ commercial interests in Asia, especially in the field of exporting Denmark’s water solutions. Insights from the case study show that certain regions of Southeast Asia are currently tackling difficult water challenges due to high-speed industrial growth, population increase, urban expansion, and climate change. A workshop run by Copenhagen Legacy Lab, from the tourism bureau Wonderful Copenhagen, highlighted the benefits of combining the event with the Danish water sector. With input from Badminton Denmark, the Lab presented the potential of future trade collaboration to relevant stakeholders – underpinned by a shared interest in and love for badminton. To achieve this goal, the DI, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and State of Green hosted representatives from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. During this visit, the Asian decision-makers visited Danish water suppliers and companies throughout the week surrounding the World Badminton Championships; they and representatives from the Danish water sector participated in a roundtable meeting run by The Danish Water Industries Federation (DI Water). To round out the occasion, participants attended a VIP event organised to coincide with the Championship quarter finals – which took place at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen.
Evaluation
DI and the Copenhagen Legacy Lab collected information to evaluate the success of combining the respective business and sports events. As the recent case study followed the Championship from earlier in the year, the findings also evaluated the occasion’s long-term positive effects. The participating Danish companies provided their input following the meetings with the Asian delegation. Respondents explained that the activity provided tangible benefits to their networking and helped in building new international relationships. From these relationships, and following the success of the event, a positive impact is expected to be seen on Danish exports. From the conversations which flowed during the event, respondents felt that the activity had provided deeper knowledge about export barriers and the potential needs of their customers. Furthermore, the Danish respondents indicated that their companies are open to participating in similar events. Overall, a positive reaction and impact could be seen. Mads Helleberg Dorff, director of DI Water, explained her thoughts following the event: “The World Badminton Championships provided a unique opportunity to attract high-ranking officials from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines for an exchange of perspectives on the water sector and the technologies that our member companies offer. “Besides meeting with DI Water, foreign officials have visited several of our member companies, including cBrain, AVK, Kamstrup, Aquaporin and Aarhus Vand. It has inspired us to see opportunities for meeting new partners in connection with major events.”
