Greater Manchester's international business connections continued to flourish last month as MIDAS completed another successful visit to Texas. 

Led by our Managing Director Joe Manning, Head of Advanced Manufacturing and Low Carbon, Rachel Eyre and Alexander Jones, Business Development Manager for the Creative, Digital & Tech sector, the team embarked on a strategic mission to deepen relationships with businesses and stakeholders in both Austin and Houston.

Building on the momentum of Greater Manchester's strong presence at South by Southwest (SXSW) earlier this year and Mayor Andy Burnham's successful trade mission to Texas, MIDAS returned to strengthen the ties between Greater Manchester and Texas. 

The follow-up visit was built upon the connections established during Greater Manchester's prominent showcase at SXSW 2024, where the city-region's creative, digital and technology sectors were highlighted on an international stage.

Austin - Leg one of the US Mission 

Day 1 

The first part of the visit and the start of a jam-packed schedule began in Austin, where MIDAS worked with the city's EY office to hold roundtable discussions with key economic development organisations on affinities between Greater Manchester and Austin and how we can most effectively collaborate on opportunities.

The roundtable brought together influential organisations including Opportunity Austin, The University of Texas at Austin, the City of Austin, and the World Affairs Council of Austin, highlighting the growing affinity between Greater Manchester and Austin.

Day 2

A key highlight of the Austin leg for the MIDAS team was a business event hosted at Q-Branch. Joe Manning and Rachel Eyre who spoke at the event, were joined by Greater Manchester Combined Authority's Senior Policy Officer for Culture and Creative Policy, Rebecca Swarray, to showcase the diverse range of inward investment opportunities and the thriving music and cultural scene available in Greater Manchester. 

AECOM hosted MIDAS at Austin Community College for roundtable discussions on Manchester and Austin’s learnings from implementing workforce and economic development programmes and multimodal infrastructure projects in the localities. 

Following the roundtables Laura Sauceda Lucas showed MIDAS the ACC’s excellent technical education facilities.

Day 3 

On the last day in Austin, the team moved on to meet with Cloud Imperium Games, which is a new kind of independent studio dedicated to delivering AAA experiences outside the established publisher system, at their Austin studio, to lay the groundwork for their highly anticipated CitizenCon event in Manchester later this month. 

To end the successful trip to Austin, team MIDAS participated in the MOVE: Mobility Re-imagined conference, which explores future mobility opportunities that could benefit 
Manchester's transportation landscape.

Houston – Leg two of the US Mission 

The Lone Star state journey continued with Houston next on the agenda, where new relationships were forged and existing ones strengthened.

Day 1 

A key meeting with the newly appointed British Consul General, Sujeevan Satheesan, who oversees UK relations across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico, and the wider Department for Business and Trade team reinforced the ties between the regions. 

Following on from the meeting, MIDAS moved on to a tour of ION Houston. 
An initiative by Rice University, the tour was particularly beneficial and a timely coincidence as Greater Manchester launched its own innovation district – Sister, on the same day. 

The visit, guided by Ragen Doyle Benavides, offered insights into establishing and learning more about the well-established innovation districts. 

The team delved into Houston's energy sector, meeting with Jason Ethier of Energy Tech Nexus to explore the city's vibrant energy and carbon tech startup ecosystem, along with learning more about the exciting projects ETN are working on.

Day 2 

To conclude the Texas trip, MIDAS held a productive roundtable with The Abilene Chamber of Commerce and its business members, including Hartmann's Inc. and Clavél Corporation. The discussions centred on supporting their entry into the UK market through Greater Manchester, demonstrating MIDAS' commitment to facilitating international business expansion.

The latest visit to the US marked another significant step in strengthening the bonds between Greater Manchester and Texas. 

By fostering international relationships, MIDAS continues to create valuable opportunities for collaboration and economic growth, positioning Greater Manchester as an attractive destination for international investment. 

Rachel Eyre, Head of Advanced Manufacturing and Low Carbon at MIDAS, said:

"The connections we've made in Texas have been invaluable for MIDAS and Greater Manchester. 

"Both Austin and Houston share Manchester's drive for innovation, particularly in areas like advanced manufacturing. These visits have reinforced the significant opportunities for collaboration between our regions, with there being numerous areas where collaboration could drive mutual growth.

“The round tables and office tours also provided us with a fantastic insight as to how other cities are looking to innovate. 

“We had an all-round successful trip and we look forward to returning in March with a wider Greater Manchester delegation.” 

Alexander Jones, MIDAS’ Business Development Manager in the Creative, Digital and Technology sector said:

“The visit to Austin and Houston really cemented in my mind the economic and cultural affinities between our two localities. In the creative, digital and tech space – it was particularly interesting to visit Cloud Imperium Games’ Austin studio to learn more about how they work with their Manchester-based team.
“Our tour of the Austin Community College was another highlight and presented an opportunity to see first-hand some genuinely excellent technical education facilities – something we are keen to develop further in Greater Manchester through the introduction of the Manchester Bachelorette.
“Greater Manchester’s presence at SXSW in March 2025 has been strengthened by the relationships we established in Texas on this visit.”