THE organisers of a business event being held later this year have attracted a US company which hopes to build partnerships with organisations in County Durham through business "speed dating".

County Durham Development Company has invited the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic Development (MGCA) to its Intertech event, which builds partnerships among the region's technology companies.

The MGCA is a non-profit corporation whose members include economic development agencies in the six southernmost counties that border the Gulf of Mexico in Mississippi.

Its involvement in InterTech 2004, which takes place at County Hall, Durham, on October 11 and 12, follows the success of its participation in InterTech 2003.

Executive director and founder member, Michael Olivier, said: "The InterTech model allows participants to match up early, prior to attendance, to establish an identity and save time by qualifying whether an opportunity exists.

"The speed-dating concept of the one-to-one meetings then pushes this process along, making follow-up much more meaningful."

The alliance is hoping to make contact with companies and organisations that are interested in gaining a foothold in the US and Latin American markets and hopes to attract an InterTech event to its own region within the next two years.