AURA  |
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| 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 |