| The Association of United States Representatives
Abroad (AURA) is an informal association of US state
and county representatives in the UK. It was started
approximately five years ago by the Commercial Service
at the US Embassy in London and I took over as President
in 2002.
AURA is primarily made up of the companies
or organisations that represent parts of the US in the
UK. We currently have 78 members (36 UK–based),
from 28 states, three US cities (Denver, Colorado; Greater
Richmond, and New York) and one US county (Fairfax).
We also have 67 non-representative contacts, making
a total of 145.
The different offices provide a range
of services. For example, some include tourism, while
others don’t; some are very active in trade missions,
while others are not. It depends on the priorities and
remits set by the states for their work here. We also
maintain a large number of contacts from the Council
of American States in Europe (CASE), based in Frankfurt
am Main, so we are not strictly UK limited (see page
191 for more information on CASE).
AURA continues to work closely with the
US Embassy in London. We have good relationships with
the UK Government investment bodies, such as UK Trade
and Investment, as well as the Regional Development
Authorities around the country. We hold regular events
with representatives to keep our members up-to-date
with new initiatives and reiterate the support that
is available to us from these agencies and organisations.
The members of AURA meet every three
months to network and discuss plans. We also swap notes
on upcoming trade missions in and out of the UK, as
well as UK events designed to promote a sector or an
area of the US here in the UK. Although we can be potential
competitors for attracting firms to our respective areas,
in practice, this conflict seldom occurs. We all gain
by exchanging ideas and tips on useful contacts, such
as good hotels and local transport services.
The US Embassy Commercial Service also
uses our member notices to distribute useful information
from the US Government. If you are thinking of expanding
to the US, one port of call should be to check if your
target city, state or county has an office in the UK
or Europe. You will find a list of many of the state/US
offices here in this Handbook. They make an excellent
first phone call.
FCEDA
6th Floor, Empire House
175 Piccadilly
London, W1J 9TB
E-mail: FairfaxUK@dial.pipex.com
Website: www.fairfaxcountyeda.org
Inside UK:
Tel: 0800 085 0969
Fax: 0800 085 096
Outside UK:
Tel: +44 (0) 1732 743310
Fax: +44 (0) 1732 743310
Mobile: +44 (0) 7050 103305
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