LILLE, FRANCE - Nord France Invest and Lille's Agency named best international agency in Denver, Colorado. Nord France Invest’s Luc Doublet and Yann Pitollet, along with Dominique Mariani, were on hand to receive the award for best international agency from Site Selectors Guild at the closing ceremony of the guild’s third annual conference in Denver, Colorado. Other winners were US agencies representing Mississippi, Oklahoma and New Jersey. IBM nominated the duo from Northern France for their effectiveness in helping IBM set up at EuraTechnologies. The award testifies both to the agencies’ expertise and to the seamless cooperation of public and private sector entities.
Making a compelling case
The two agencies were nominated for the award by IBM’s Plant Location International (PLI), which specializes in advising companies on location decisions, following their outstanding teamwork in assisting IBM as it set up in Lille in June 2013. The US group acknowledged this expert assistance in its announcement regarding IBM operations at EuraTechnologies, a site dedicated to IT services. "Our experience was that the cooperation between city and region went smoothly, both in the initial process of information gathering and during the preparation and facilitation of local visits by the IBM project team,” explained Roel Spee, Global Leader of IBM - Plant Location International, adding “This resulted in a very professional responsiveness and high quality of information that the team was looking for. This was important for IBM, since it was not just one of many site selection projects of IBM, but the introduction of a new business model in Europe.”
International award reflects regional strengths
For Luc Doublet, head of Nord France Invest and Lille’s Agency, the prize rewards roll-out of a highly targeted regional marketing strategy and a “soft power” approach that uses Northern France’s unique advantages to differentiate the region. “People factors” may be intangible, but for demanding businesses they are a prime differentiator.
“This award recognizes our ability to make new companies feel at home, and we expect it to attract other international investors,” he said. “Remember that in 2013 the number of jobs created by international investors in our region rose by 81%. In fact, Northern France accounted for nearly one in ten jobs created by foreign companies in France last year!”
For Luc Doublet, “This is the very first time a European development agency has been recognized by Site Selectors Guild. That recognition is most welcome, but above all a testimony to the resources our region has to offer.”
About Site Selectors Guild
The Site Selectors Guild is an association of the world’s foremost professional site selection consultants. Members include Buck Consultant International, Deloitte Consulting’Real Estate and Deloitte Consulting PLL, Jones Lang Lasalle Business Consulting, IBM / PLI and IBM Global Business Services. All members are nominated and approved by their industry peers.
About Nord France Invest
Nord France Invest is the economic development agency for the “Lille Region”. It is responsible for identifying, welcoming and supporting international investors. The agency is funded by the Nord-Pas de Calais Regional Council and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the North of France. To successfully fulfill its role, Nord France Invest works with the Invest in France Agency (IFA) network, as well as the “Invest in Northern France” network, to which Lille’s Agency belongs. www.nordfranceinvest.com
Lille’s agency
Lille’s agency is a consulting firm specializing in business development. Its goal is to boost the investment attractiveness of the Lille area and to assist companies as they expand locally by translating their strategic growth plans into high value-added partnership-based projects.
Lille’s agency is mainly financed by the chamber of commerce Grand Lille and Lille Metropole Local Authority
www.lillesagency.com

Contacts
Yann Pitollet – CEO - Nord France Invest– +33 3 59 56 23 19 / 6 76 03 85 16
Charlotte Ballu – Communications Director – Lille’s Agency – +33 3 62 14 50 06 – 6 26 97 74 02