COBCOE Connects is an online platform created by Belgian company TIAO (Trust is an Outcome) and COBCOE (Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe).
The platform is designed to help businesses find trusted contacts around the world matched to their individual needs. It links British Chambers of Commerce and Trade Associations from around the world online so that businesses can make contact. It combines advanced technology with personal moderators who have local knowledge.
Acting as an umbrella organization, it works with its members to advance international trade and business through trustworthy business to business connections and gives you an opportunity to create and build relationships you wouldn’t necessarily be able to otherwise.
The network was launched in 2017, and currently there are 25 Chambers of Commerce and Trade Associations signed up globally, covering 11 countries – Bulgaria, Canada, Lithuania, Slovenia, UK, France, Nigeria, Finland, Belgium, Morocco and the Netherlands.
Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce started using the platform in August 2018 and we’ve seen a steady rise in the number of companies joining since then. There are now over 10,000 businesses using the platform. We are currently ranked number 1 of all the networks signed up, with 108 of our members active on the platform.
In recent months a more user-friendly search page has been added, allowing companies to search through the member companies/sectors and opportunities as broadly or as specifically as they require. If you can’t find what you need from the current members on COBCOE Connects, there is also the option to purchase a list of contact details for over 10 million companies across multiple sectors and countries from COBCOE Connects partner, Kompass UK Ltd, who provide business data and marketing lists to companies in over 60 countries worldwide to help improve the results of their sales and marketing activity.
Each Chamber of Commerce and Trade Association has a moderator, who provides local market expertise and assists in building the relationships and stakeholder engagement that help businesses to succeed. The moderator is there to look after the members. Your moderator can be as involved with your account as you want them to be. We can set up your account, post the opportunities on your behalf, you can sign in to the platform to see the opportunities at any time, plus they’ll be on social media weekly, but if there’s something specific you’re looking for we can look out for those relevant opportunities too. Or we can just be there in the background for support if you have any questions.
Once the opportunity is posted i.e. you’re looking for a business partner/collaborator/investor/investment opportunity etc., it will be shared through the platform to all members, as well as posted on the social media of each Chamber of Commerce and Trade Association signed up, so the reach really is extensive.
Of course, not every opportunity posted is relevant to every member, and so it can take a while to see any result using the platform, but as it grows and widens it’s reach to more Chambers of Commerce in more countries the results for businesses worldwide can only improve.
