Newsletter March 2011

The German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (GACC) was pleased to host the Building Efficiency in Germany and the U.S. workshop in cooperation with the Building Energy 11 conference in Boston, MA. The event, which took place on Tuesday, March 8th, featured presentations from German and American energy efficiency experts as well as German efficient building companies who are preparing to enter the U.S. market. Over 80 participants engaged the speakers who included the Vice Mayor of Cambridge, MA, Henrietta Davis and Dr. Manfred Hegger, of the University of Darmstadt in Germany, as well as company representatives such as Stephan Tanner of Intep and Martin Wilhelm of bb22, who has developed a green urban planning design that has already been implemented in Frankfurt, Germany. The discussions raised awareness on both sides about the exciting developments that are taking place both in Germany and the United States. A focus on passive houses showed that they are now becoming quite affordable in Germany and are quickly gaining interest and support in the U.S. as well.

The eight companies who presented at the workshop stayed in the Boston area for the rest of the week and met with strategic partners in the architecture and construction, real estate, and product distribution sectors to determine how they could best develop a market for their products in the New England region.

The program was part of an initiative funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) to support the international growth of German energy efficient building companies. This program follows the German American Energy Efficiency Conference, which was held in New York City in April 2009, sponsored by the same initiative. Supporting partners for the Building Efficiency in Germany and the U.S. workshop included eclareon, the German Consulate General Boston, the German American Business Council Boston, the German Center for Research and Innovation, and the New England Sustainable Energy Association.

>>> Please visit our Photo Gallery.

The German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. together with its member Littler Mendelson, P.C. invites you to an evening seminar on

Defensive Writing Skills: Email and Social Networking

Each day we communicate via email in order to keep our business running, to communicate with customers, and to share information with business partners, colleagues, or just friends. Social media tools have become a substantial part of our daily communication form on a corporate as well as private level. To write an email seems rather easy: write – click - send – click – done. Nevertheless, there are many risks for business when emailing and using social networking tools. During this business seminar, we want to explore those common mistakes and areas of potential legal liability and hopefully learn how to avoid them. Come and gain the following insights:

• How to avoid legal risk when using email or social networking tools;
• How to approach different business partners, customers, or colleagues;
• How to communicate directly and clearly without sounding offensive.

Join us at
Littler Mendelson
900 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Wednesday, March 23, 2011
6.00 – 8.00pm

Free admission for members!
Non-members: $ 35

Space is limited! To RSVP, please contact Anne Wittig at awittig@gaccny.com or (212) 974-8837.

Early-Bird Pricing until March 20, 2011

From May 12 - 13, 2011, the German American Chambers of Commerce (GACC) and the German Energy Agency (dena GmbH) will be hosting the 3rd German American Energy (GAE) Conference in Berlin, Germany entitled “Global Energy Challenges – Transatlantic Business Opportunities”. We are pleased to announce that Mr. Rainer Brüderle, Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, and Mr. Philip D. Murphy, U.S. Ambassador to Germany, have accepted our invitation to speak at this year’s conference.

The two-day conference is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) as part of the Export Initiatives Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Additionally, the conference is supported by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the Federation of German Industries (BDI), and Germany Trade and Invest (gtai). Conference partners include the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar), the German Wind Energy Association (BWE), the German BioEnergy Association (BBE), the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), the Council of American States in Europe (CASE), the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association and the German Association of Consulting Engineers (VBI).

>>> Register at www.gae-conference.com by March 20, 2011 to receive an Early-Bird special for only 795 Euro plus VAT 19% (app. $1,075). Members of the GACCs as well as of our partner organizations are eligible for a discount of 100 Euro (app. $135.00).

An audience of some one hundred attendees from New York's business, finance and media sectors followed an invitation to a panel discussion entitled "The Future of the Euro: Exit the Crisis - Building the Future of Europe" on February 9 at the German House. Organized by the German-American Chamber of Commerce New York and the German Consulate General, the animated discussion centered around the question of where the euro stands right now and where it is going in the future. The panel consisted of  Thomas Mayer, Chief Economist at Deutsche Bank Frankfurt, Philippe Gudin de Vallerin, Director for Macroeconomic Policies and European Affairs at the French Treasury in Paris, Joerg Stephan, Representative of the German Bundesbank in New York and James Glassman, Managing Director and Senior Economist with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.  The discussion was moderated by well-known TV journalist Garrick Utley.

>>> Click here to read the full article.

The German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. together with Globally Speaking invite you to an evening seminar with the topic

„Don't Worry... Everyone Speaks English“
The Traps of Speaking a Global Language and How to Avoid Them

A common proverb states that you live a new life for every new language you speak. Speaking and learning English may open up a whole new world as you are communicating in a global language and increasingly become part of a more global life and perspective. Therefore, speaking English well seems almost mandatory when living and working in an international environment. Though gaining global language skills may easily be the only requirement to participating in an international arena, sometimes we communicate quite the opposite of what we actually intended to convey when we don’t take cultural aspects into consideration. Language and culture are closely interlinked; this applies particularly when speaking a global language. During this YEC seminar we will investigate the hidden traps of speaking a global language and will discuss guidelines on how to avoid them. Come and find out:

• Why do language barriers still exist even though English has become the “global language”?
• How can communication be maximized and conflict minimized?
• How can we communicate across cultures in the Global Marketplace?

Ernst & Young LLP
16th Floor
5 Times Square
New York, NY 10036

Thursday, April 7, 2011
6.00 – 8.00pm

This event will include a networking reception.

Free admission YEC-members and members!
Non-members: $ 35

Space is limited! To RSVP, please contact Anne Wittig at awittig@gaccny.com or (212) 974-8837.

AMERICA’S BEST!!!

Deviating from our normal content, we wanted to share a few perks of living in the states with you. We have some of the BEST pizza and BEST coffee and we wanted to share with you the absolute NUMBER ONE of each.

If you’re looking for some great pizza, try out Uncle Sam’s, which calls themselves the best pizza in America. So much so that they truly used to be called America’s Best Pizza. They can’t be fibbing, right? Or there’s America’s Incredible Pizza Company. Since incredible is right there in the name, we’re assuming it’s pretty fantastic. [...] And if you’re in the mood for a nice, hot cup of joe, worry not because the good ol’ US of A is notorious for it’s several brands boasting the best coffee in America. […]

We hope by now our point is clear and it’s obvious we are actually making one. America loves to be number one. If you walk down a street in New York City, you will see more than a few signs in shop windows proclaiming they have the best such-and-such. Nine times out of ten, the item they are boasting about will be mediocre at best.

Boasting about being the best is not something Germans do. [...]

>>> Continue reading How We Sink, our intercultural blog.

The One World Trade Center (1WTC), which was formerly named Freedom Tower, is currently under construction on Ground Zero in the very heart of New York, the place where the World Trade Center was destroyed on September 11, 2001.

The facade of the skyscraper is underlined by a stainless steel frame. The material for the building edges is “Made in Germany”. These stainless steel panels are made out of ThyssenKrupp Nirosta (Krefeld) material.

ThyssenKrupp Elevator was awarded a contract to install all 71 elevators, nine escalators and the maintenance. Official inauguration is planned for 2013.

 

>>> For more information, please click here.

May 10 to 13, 2011 – Munich, Germany

transport logistic, the world’s largest exhibition for transport and logistics, is looking forward to another year of increased in exhibitor and visitor numbers. After the record year 2009 where the show attracted 1,764 exhibitors from 55 countries and 48,000 visitors from 112 countries, we look forward to welcoming you in Munich again.

Get your tickets online and save money and time!

For more information please contact Sabrina Weimer, sweimer@munich-tradefairs.com, 646-437-1016.

May 23 to 26, 2011 – Munich, Germany

LASER World of PHOTONICS is the world‘s leading trade fair for the laser and photonics sector. The show continuously sets new standards in quality, internationality, space and range of exhibits. In 2009 LASER attracted 1,034 exhibitors from 36 countries and over 25,000 international visitors.

Please purchase your ticket online and enjoy all the advantages LASER World of PHOTONICS has to offer!

For more visiting information please contact Sabrina Weimer, sweimer@munich-tradefairs.com, 646-437-1016.

Still looking for exhibition space? For exhibitor information please contact Sabine Kallup, skallup@munich-tradefairs.com, 646-437-1012.