The Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas

Executives setting their sights on doing business in North America should gird their metaphorical loins not only for the tough negotiations ahead, but also for considerable controversy or a show of national pride, says Colin Ellson.

Executives setting their sights on doing business in North America should gird their metaphorical loins not only for the tough negotiations ahead, but also for considerable controversy or a show of national pride, says Colin Ellson. No matter that you are a limey, in the US you will be drawn into the most heated debate in latter-day America: discussion of President Barack Obama’s recently passed healthcare bill. Predicted to widen the door into the world’s biggest medical programme, it thus offers significant potential for UK companies involved in the sector. Juicy opportunities also exist in a swathe of other areas in Britain’s largest single export market – worth around £40billion a year – according to UK Trade & Investment. Due to its size, the US should be treated as a series of regional markets, says UKTI, with a range of opportunities in a country where British goods and services enjoy a reputation for quality. Similarly, Canada is highly receptive to UK imports, valued at over £3.25billion a year, with the automotive, oil, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, IT and biotechnology sectors high on the list. Flying to explore what’s up for grabs in both the better and lesser-known business destinations across the pond is the easy part: every city worth a punt enjoys direct flights from the UK, not only from London but often out of the provinces, from where one-stop options are nevertheless more plentiful. Once arrived, hear out the healthcare argument in the States or the Canadians’ pleasure at their achievements at the recent Winter Olympics, and they should be ready to get down to what promises to be worthwhile business.

United States

Atlanta
Some two billion bottles and cans of Coke are downed worldwide every day from the massive distribution operation controlled by The Coca-Cola Company’s global headquarters in the capital of Georgia. Atlanta is also a financial services centre, manufactures textiles and chemicals, and has the world’s busiest airport. British Airways and Delta fly to Atlanta daily from London Heathrow, with the US carrier also offering the same frequency from London Gatwick and Manchester airports.

Boston
Steeped in American history, the capital of Massachusetts counts tourism as a major factor in its economy. Another is the city’s many universities, which attract cutting-edge industries to the region. Boston also has a high profile in financial services and conventions. From Heathrow, BA and American Airlines both fly direct to Boston three times a day, with Virgin Atlantic providing a daily service. Icelandair offers a similar frequency via Keflavik, and also operates from Glasgow and Manchester, while Aer Lingus has a daily service from Dublin and five flights a week out of Shannon. In addition, American offers daily departures from Manchester via Chicago and New York JFK.

Chicago
The largest metropolis in Illinois, Chicago sprawls along Lake Michigan’s shoreline. Buffeted by the persistent breezes off the water, the so-called Windy City is a major Great Lakes port, and has the second-biggest business district in the US, the engine of an economy based on global financial services, manufacturing and medical products. American Airlines flies direct from Heathrow to Chicago four times a day, BA flies twice daily, and Virgin and United daily. American also departs daily from Manchester, Aer Lingus offering the same frequency from Dublin. In addition, KLM has six flights a week from Amsterdam Schiphol, Air France seven a week from Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Cincinnati
A rival to America’s larger coastal cities in the early 19th century in terms of size and wealth, the city on the Ohio River has dropped down the pecking order. But it remains an international trade centre, more than 1,000 local firms selling to overseas markets, while reciprocal investment in Cincinnati is represented by the likes of AEG, Bayer, and Siemens. British Airways offers the only direct service from the UK to Cincinnati, flying twice-daily from Heathrow. The alternative is American from Heathrow via Chicago or Dallas/Fort Worth. The airline also flies daily out of Manchester via Chicago.

Dallas
Working at Texas Instruments in 1958, a certain Jack Kilby invented the microchip, not only revolutionising computer technology, but also putting Dallas on the map as a leader in telecoms. Today, the city is home to over 5,700 cutting-edge companies, including AT&T, Ericsson, Nokia, Rockwell and Cisco. From Heathrow, BA has a direct daily service to Dallas, with American flying 20 times a week. The latter also has daily departures from Manchester via both New York JFK and Chicago, while KLM offers five flights a week from Schiphol.

Detroit
The global recession has bitten deep into the largest city in Michigan, home to the Big Three automobile manufacturers, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Many of its factories remain idle under a rescue plan for the industry launched by President Obama. While they restructure, the economy is supported by emerging technologies. Delta flies direct to Detroit daily from London Heathrow. Non-direct services from the gateway are via Chicago, with either American or BA. American also has a daily departure from Manchester via Chicago, and Air France flies daily non-stop from Paris CDG.

Denver
The capital of Colorado is known as the Mile-High City due to its lofty location exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. The transportation hub for the Mountain States, it has a diverse economy, founded on traditional sectors such as financial services, energy, mining, distribution and emerging technologies. British Airways offers the only direct flights from the UK to Denver, departing twice-daily from London Heathrow. Otherwise, American flies from Heathrow via Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth or Los Angeles, and provides a daily service from Manchester via Chicago.

Houston
Four decades after Neil Armstrong called the Johnson Space Centre to announce the successful landing of Apollo 11 on the moon, the largest city in Texas remains America’s primary base for developing spacecraft and training astronauts. Aerospace is a major contributor to the economy, along with manufacturing, transportation and healthcare. Both British Airways and Continental Airlines serve Houston twice-daily direct from Heathrow. Non-direct flights from Heathrow are with American Airlines, which also provides a daily service from Manchester via Chicago. KLM flies 13 times a week from Amsterdam Schiphol, and Air France flies daily from Paris CDG.

Las Vegas
A mega one-armed bandit rising out of the desert, the largest city in Nevada is renowned for its heady combination of gambling, shopping and fine dining. But it has lost its shirt to the economic downturn, apparent in a reduction in visitors to the casinos and convention centres, and cutbacks in corporate entertaining. BA flies daily non-stop from Heathrow to Las Vegas, with Virgin offering the same direct frequency from London Gatwick. American departs daily from Manchester via its US hubs.

Los Angeles
The vast City of Angels is only navigable by road which means it has more cars per capita than any other metropolis on earth. The demand is fed by a range of motor manufacturers, whose substantial contribution to the economy is matched by the movie and TV output of Hollywood, technology and tourism. From Heathrow, British Airways flies three times a day direct to LA, Virgin twice-daily, and United Airlines, Air New Zealand and American daily, the latter also departing once a day from Manchester via New York JFK and Chicago. KLM has seven flights a week from Schiphol, and Air France 20 a week out of Paris CDG.

Miami
Sun tan lotion was invented in Miami, a premonition, perhaps, that the metropolis on the Atlantic seaboard would become the playground of Florida. Today, its port is the world’s top cruise centre – 12 million visitors a year crowd into the city’s entertainment hot spots – and Miami is one of the most important financial centres in the US. BA operates direct to Miami twice-daily from Heathrow, American eight times a week, and Virgin daily. American also provides daily services from Manchester via its US hubs, and Air France flies seven times a week from Paris CDG.

Minneapolis/St Paul
The twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul grew up in the Industrial Revolution. But with the decline in heavy industries in the mid 20th century, they made the successful transition to service, finance and IT economies. Now, the pair has one of the largest concentrations of hi-tech firms in the United States. Delta offers the only direct service from the UK to Minneapolis/St Paul, flying daily from Heathrow. Frequent one-stop flights from the gateway are with American and BA; while Icelandair departs five times a week, and also flies from Glasgow and Manchester, all flights via Keflavik. In addition, American has daily departures from Manchester via Chicago.

New York City
New York City was once New Amsterdam, purchased by the Dutch from the Algonquin Indians for trinkets worth $24. Now, entrepreneurs count themselves lucky if they can snap up a square foot of office space for less than $1,500. Located in the north eastern US, the city is engaged in 24/7 activity, a leading international player in finance and research. There’s plenty of choice when it comes to direct services from Heathrow to New York JFK: British Airways offers six flights a day (plus two from London City), American 34 a week, Virgin three a day, Delta has twice-daily departures, and Air India and Kuwait Airways code-share on the route three times a week. Meanwhile, Aer Lingus flies twice-daily from Dublin to JFK and five times a week from Shannon, American flies daily from Manchester, KLM flies daily from Schiphol, and Air France 35 times a week from Paris CDG. Flights from Heathrow to New York Newark Liberty include BA’s thrice-daily departures and Virgin’s double-daily operation, while Air France operates daily from Paris CDG. Continental flies four times a day from Heathrow, and operates twice-daily direct flights from Manchester and Edinburgh, and daily departures from Glasgow, Birmingham and Belfast.

Philadelphia
The largest city in Pennsylvania was the birthplace of ideas that led to the call for American independence. It had the first hospital in the British North American colonies, and is still an important centre for medicine, home to pharmaceutical companies like GlaxoSmithKline. BA flies twice-daily from Heathrow direct to Philadelphia, with US Airways offering a daily service. The American carrier also departs daily from Manchester, flying non-stop.

Phoenix
Located in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, the state capital has the hottest climate of any major US city. Once predominantly agricultural, the economy has grown and diversified to cover financial services, government activities, research, telecoms, aerospace and tourism. American Airlines serves Phoenix eight times a week direct from London Heathrow, with British Airways flying daily. American also operates daily from Manchester via Chicago.

San Francisco
The California Gold Rush of 1848 triggered the growth of San Francisco and it continues to demonstrate the Midas touch. Noted for scenic grandeur, the city is a major international tourism destination, and its business sense is exemplified by the renowned Moscone convention centre, in addition to the large financial institutions and medical research facilities in town. BA flies direct from Heathrow to San Francisco twice-daily, United and Virgin fly daily, with KLM flying non-stop each day from Schiphol, and Air France ten times a week from Paris CDG. American departs from Manchester daily via Chicago and New York JFK.

Seattle
There was widespread local concern when aerospace giant Boeing moved its headquarters from this port city on the West Coast to Chicago. But with large manufacturing plants nearby, it is still the largest private employer in the region. Seattle also relies on a mix of older industrial companies, internet and technology firms to support its economy. British Airways provides the only direct service from the UK to Seattle, departing daily from London Heathrow, while flights via their respective hubs are offered by American and Icelandair. The latter also flies from Glasgow and Manchester, while Air France has a non-stop daily operation from Paris CDG.

Washington DC
Around 25 per cent of the workforce in the US capital is directly employed by the government, and with business continuing as usual during the recession, its effects have not been felt as keenly as elsewhere in the nation. The administration is the world’s largest consumer of technological equipment and services, which also benefits the growing private sector. British Airways has three direct flights a day from Heathrow to Washington DC, Virgin and United both offering a daily frequency. Air France flies 21 times a week from Paris CDG, and KLM daily from Amsterdam Schiphol.

Canada

Calgary
Over one million visitors canter into the city in the shadow of the Rockies each summer for the Calgary Stampede, contributing fistfuls of dollars to the rodeo. The mainstays of the economy in the largest metropolis in Alberta, however, are the oil, gas and mining industries. Air Canada offers five direct flights a week from Heathrow to Calgary, while American has a daily one-stop service out of Manchester, and KLM flies five times a week from Schiphol.

Edmonton
The capital of Alberta is both an economic centre and a hub for the petrochemical industries. Supply and services drive the energy extraction sector, with research supporting its expansion. Edmonton has a diverse economy, and is strong in financial services. Air Canada flies daily direct from Heathrow to Edmonton.

Montréal
In south west Québec, Montréal is the second-largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris. An important centre of finance, industry and technology, it has the biggest inland port on earth, while local industries include aerospace, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. Both British Airways and Air Canada fly direct to Montréal daily from Heathrow. American offers one-stop daily departures from Manchester, KLM flies once a day from Schiphol, and Air France flies 28 times a week out of Paris CDG.

Ottawa
Canada’s capital, in southern Ontario, is a global technology centre with over 1,800 companies involved in telecoms, software, and semi-conductors. The federal government is also a primary employer; many companies are involved in agriculture, and petroleum and natural gas are important to the economy. From Heathrow, Air Canada offers a direct daily service to Ottawa, with American flying three times a day via Chicago, also the hub for its daily operation out of Manchester.

Toronto
The capital of Ontario, Toronto is one hour’s drive from Niagara Falls, making tourism a key driver of the economy. It is also the country’s financial hub and has a high concentration of banks. BA serves Toronto twice-daily direct from Heathrow; Air Canada flies daily. American operates daily from Manchester via Chicago, with other one-stop regional services including Icelandair from Glasgow and Manchester. KLM has ten direct flights a week from Schiphol, and Air France a daily departure out of Paris CDG.

Vancouver
This scenic gem on the Pacific in British Columbia counts tourism among its largest money spinners, with over one million passengers a year passing through its cruise port. Host of the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the city’s everyday activities include mining and forestry. British Airways flies direct from London Heathrow to Vancouver daily, with Air Canada offering six flights a week. KLM serves the city daily non-stop from Schiphol.