Games Convention in Leipzig

2008-08-20
Leipzig
Contact: Aurélia GUILLOU

The Games Convention 2008 is Europe’s leading fair for interactive entertainment, infotainment, edutainment, and hardware. It will be held on August 20 - 24, 2008 in Leipzig, Germany.

A French pavilion organized by UBIFRANCE and the Invest in France Agency will distribute information packets to visitors and show a video of the advantages that France has to offer.

First held in 2002, the Games Convention has become the industry’s most successful fair and is seen today as Europe’s biggest and most important fair for games and entertainment. With 4 public exhibition halls, it is the number one public event for entertainment.

2007 Statistics show that 503 exhibitors, 85,000 visitors and 12,300 trade visitors attended this annual game convention. Every year, exhibitors, visitors and journalists come to Leipzig from more than 40 countries.   

For more information, please visit the Games Convention website.

Roundtable discussion: Is the Worst Yet to Come?

2008-07-23
New York
Contact: François REMOVILLE

Franco-American banking perspectives on the credit crisis.

 

Wednesday, July 23

5 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.

Baker & McKenzie LLP
4th Floor Conference Center
1114 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036

 

Please join Baker & McKenzie's French Desk and Invest in France Agency - North America for a discussion on the credit crisis and its implications for the Franco-American banking industry. We will be discussing potential regulatory changes as a result of the credit crisis, particularly, in light of France's presidency of the European Union for the second half of 2008. 

The program will begin with a wine and cheese reception at 5:00 pm, followed by a practical discussion highlighting both the challenges and opportunities faced by the banking industry as a result of the current economic crisis.

 

For more information, or to register, please visit:: http://bakerxchange.com/ve/ZZ940078o7380LPWC68I.

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Agenda

Wine and Cheese Reception

5:00 pm to 5:45 pm

 

Discussion

5:45 pm to 7:15 pm

Q&A
7:15 pm to 7:30 pm

 

Featured Panelists

Jean Ergas, Global Insurance, International Consulting
Mr. Jean Ergas is a senior financial executive with over 20 years experience in the insurance, capital markets and energy sectors.

 

David Freedman, Partner, Baker & McKenzie LLPMr. David Freedman is a partner in Baker & McKenzie's New York office.He advises on securities and financial services law and public company merger and acquisition transactions, as well as on infrastructure projects, with a concentration on cross-border operations involving France.

 

Skip Rankin, Partner, Baker & McKenzie LLP
Mr. Skip Rankin is a partner in Baker & McKenzie's New York office.  He advises on mergers and acquisitions, privatizations, licensing and distribution agreements, joint venture agreements and project finance. Mr. Rankin frequently counsels clients on renewable energy projects in the U.S. and abroad.

Richard R. Rudder, Partner, Baker & McKenzie LLP
Mr. Rudder is a partner in Baker & McKenzie's New York office. He focuses his practice on structured finance and securitization including asset-based lending transactions, representing major commercial and investment banks, issuers, purchasers, trustees and bond insurers in connection with public and private financings. He has innovated many first-of-a-kind transactions, including the first securitization of music royalties.
 

William R. Wagner, Partner, Baker & McKenzie LLP
Mr. Wagner is a partner in Baker & McKenzie's New York office. He focuses his practice on complex international and domestic loan workouts, financial restructurings and distressed investments.  He has extensive secured and unsecured bank financing experience and also represents investment and commercial banks, asset managers, funds and other strategic investors in trades of distressed and par-value loan obligations.

Breakfast Series: Who Offers the Best Research Tax Credit in Europe?

2008-07-17
Chicago
Contact: Ludovic VALLET

Turn Your R&D into R.O.I.

July 17, 2008
8 am - 10 am

Sofitel Chicago O’Hare
5550 North River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018

 

Since the start of fiscal year 2008, companies registered in France benefit from an improved and simplified R&D tax incentive. The volume proportion of eligible expenses has been tripled, offering greater assistance to companies conducting R&D. The expenditure ceiling has been abolished, which will enable medium-to-large sized companies to invest more in R&D activities.

France has offered R&D Tax Credit for over 25 years. In 2007, the French Government spent around 1.5 billion Euros refunding 8000 companies for R&D Tax Credit.

Credits can be complex to secure

The R&D tax credit is simple to calculate and claim. Companies encounter difficulties in understanding and interpreting their eligibility for the credit and in preparing for possible tax audits.

In this Breakfast Seminar, perfect for CEOs CFOs R&D Managers and Directors and Tax Managers, you’ll learn:

• How the French R&D Tax Credit scheme works
• What type of companies and activities qualify
• How to optimize your credit amount based on your EBIT
• How to secure the related processes and leverage a potential audit

 

To make your reservation, contact:

312-578-0444
information@facc-chicago.com

 

Meet our presenters:

Sabine Enjalbert
Innovation Financing Director, LowendalMasaï

After her graduation as an Engineer from the Polytechnic Institute of 
Grenoble (France), Sabine began her career as a market research specialist in Japan in 1994. After a year, she was promoted to Technical Department Manager in the same company, specializing in business intelligence. In 1998, she joined France Telecom Japan as Business Development Manager.

In 2000, back in Europe, she was appointed Partner at Business Interactive, an independent web agency. From mid-2005 to mid-2007, she was Business Development Director and member of the board of Mappy, a company specialized in geo-localized services to telcos.

Sabine joined LowendalMasaï in 2007 to develop Innovation Financing Business Services.
http://www.lowendalmasai-america.com

Ludovic Vallet
Vice President, Invest in France Agency Chicago

Ludovic is currently managing the Chicago office of Invest in France.  This government agency is responsible for inward investment attraction and promotes France as a business friendly environment.

Prior to this appointment he worked for GERIS Consultants, a subsidiary of THALES Group, as a consultant helping restructure divisions of large industrial groups. Duties included project management, marketing and promotion of these opportunities. He later joined a local development authority in western France where he successfully developed marketing tools and industrial parks promoting the local network of competencies in automotive, air and space industries.

Ludovic holds a Masters degree in Economic Development and International Trade as well as a Bachelors degree in Marketing.
http://www.invest-in-france.org/north-america/

French-American Conference of Entrepreneurs

2008-06-27
Paris
Contact: Benoît GAUSSERON

Conferences and speakers June 27-28

French-American Conference of Entrepreneurs - FACE is an opportunity for French and American entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and other members of the French-American entrepreneurial community to meet in order to create a network between individuals from each country.

The objective of the event is to give entrepreneurs a global prospective of the business environment, to generate prospects, and to create a fruitful environment for enterprise development.

The event will be take place in Paris in two prestigious venues--the Louvre Museum, and the Potocki Hotel, the general headquarters of the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.face-paris.com/front/index.php?lang=en

2008 BIO International Convention in San Diego

2008-06-17
San Diego
Contact: Aurélia GUILLOU

The 2008 BIO International Convention hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization will be held on June 17 – 21, 2008 in San Diego, USA.

A French pavilion organized by UBIFRANCE and the Invest in France Agency will hand out information packets to visitors and show a video of the advantages that France has to offer.

Founded in 1993, BIO is the world’s largest biotechnology organization, providing advocacy, business development, and communications services for more than 1,150 companies and organizations at the federal, state, and international levels.

This years BIO convention is represented by 2,200 companies from 70 countries in all bio-tech applications: health, food & agriculture, industrial, and environmental. The number of attendees is expected to exceed 22,000 this year.  

For more information, please visit the website: www.bio2008.org