How Norwegian companies can accelerate international growth
A Trade Mission gives your business a unique opportunity to quickly gain insight into new markets and build valuable relationships. In just one week, you can achieve a great deal – from getting to know local stakeholders and the business culture to exploring specific opportunities to export your products and services.
Valuable connections
With the right preparation and targeted meetings, a trip like this can be an effective step towards international growth and new market opportunities.
'Through our tailored market visits, we aim to give Norwegian companies insight into specific market opportunities and help them build valuable connections to expand their business globally. We open doors while giving companies a valuable and insightful experience alongside others in their industry,' says Tom Falk Hald, Senior Adviser and Head of Trade Missions at Innovation Norway.
Norwegian companies can take part in market visits to various countries within Norway's strategic export initiatives, including aquaculture, health, the maritime industry, hydrogen, manufacturing and design.
Explore opportunities through a tailored programme
Our advisers at our international offices tailor each Trade Mission programme, drawing on their market knowledge and networks to give Norwegian companies a competitive edge.
'On a Trade Mission, you meet potential customers and business partners. You gain first-hand knowledge of local market conditions and business culture, as well as insights that are essential for your continued export efforts,' says Hald.
The market visit lasts between two and five days. Before the visit, you will gain an introduction to the market through online meetings, followed by support to help you move forward.
- The programme is manageable for many businesses and gives Norwegian companies a fast track into new markets. There are no size requirements, but you need the ambition and capacity to expand internationally, as well as a product that is relevant to the market.
Design brand gained a foothold in Asia
One of the fashion brands that joined our Trade Mission to South Korea and Japan this autumn was Ella&Il.
The company was founded by sisters-in-law Lene and Rikke Holmen-Jensen in 2014. After several years of growth in Scandinavia and Europe, they are now exploring the Asian market.
In autumn 2025, the founders joined a Trade Mission to Asia to explore two challenging yet attractive markets with a strong interest in Nordic design and quality.
«Asia has long been of interest to us, but entering the market alone is a major step. The trade mission gave us confidence, structure and access to the right decision-makers. »
During the market visit, the company met distributors, potential business partners and industry representatives, while gaining a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour and market dynamics.
'It was particularly useful to gain insight into cultural differences and expectations. Small details can make a big difference in these markets, and we would not have understood them as well through digital channels,' adds Rikke Holmen-Jensen.
Senior Adviser Liv Inger Tønjum, who works on our export initiative for manufacturing and design, believes Trade Mission is an effective tool for brands considering expansion into markets where they have limited networks and market insight.
'South Korea and Japan are markets with high expectations for quality, storytelling and trust. Through the Trade Mission, Ella&Il was able to test the market first-hand and build relationships that are essential to its continued expansion,' says Tønjum.
Ella&Il is now sold in a shop in Seoul, as a direct result of the company's participation in the Trade Mission, where it met the shop owner at a showroom event co-organised by our colleagues in Seoul.
Furniture giant explores opportunities in the business market
Ekornes is Norway's largest furniture and interiors exporter, and Stressless is one of the country's most widely recognised brands internationally. The company has long held a strong position in the German consumer market and now wanted to explore opportunities in the business market.
Through Ekornes Interior Solutions, the company already has a strong position in the Norwegian business market and is now focused on developing a similar presence internationally.
In spring 2026, the company took part in a Trade Mission to Germany, where it met interior architects and designers working on hotel and hospitality projects and gained up-to-date insights into trends, distribution and requirements in the contract market.
'Ekornes is a good example of how long-term brand building and clear market concepts can create international impact. When companies combine this with targeted export activities and meet the right decision-makers, they can significantly accelerate their international expansion,' says Runar Haugen, Head of our Manufacturing and Design export initiative.
«We are very pleased with how the Trade Mission to Germany was organised. It moved quickly from planning to delivery, and we connected directly with relevant market players. The entire process was expertly facilitated by a highly capable team.»
For Ekornes, the market visit provided an opportunity to validate assumptions, strengthen relationships across the value chain and identify the next steps in developing its international contract market.
Knowledge and connections
Participants in various market visits over the past two years have highlighted the combination of expert insights, relevant meetings and close follow-up as particularly valuable.
'You can achieve a great deal in a short time and come away with both knowledge and contacts that would otherwise take months, or perhaps years, to build. This makes Trade Mission an effective tool for Norwegian companies looking to make better business decisions on their international growth journey,' Hald concludes.