What drives international investment decisions, and how can cities stay competitive? On 29 October 2026, Riga hosted the 2nd Site Selectors Guild European Conference, bringing together leading international site selection consultants and investment promotion professionals to discuss the trends, challenges and opportunities shaping global investment.
The conference welcomed 11 members of the Site Selectors Guild – the world’s leading professional association of corporate location consultants. Guild members advise multinational companies on where to establish, expand or relocate their operations, and their expertise influences which cities and regions make the shortlist for major investment projects. This makes the conference an important platform for exchanging knowledge and building connections between investment destinations and the global site selection community.
The Mayor of Riga, Viesturs Kleinbergs, welcomed the international delegation, highlighting the value of international cooperation and of strong relationships with the professionals who help shape corporate investment decisions worldwide.
Global investment is entering a new phase
Geopolitical uncertainty, shifting trade policies, reshoring and supply-chain diversification are changing how companies evaluate investment destinations.
Discussions compared investment environments in Europe, North America and Asia. While market access, operating costs and financial incentives remain important, companies increasingly weigh geopolitical resilience, regulatory predictability, infrastructure readiness and speed of implementation.
One message came through clearly: investment promotion is no longer simply about presenting a location’s advantages. It is about helping companies make informed decisions and offering credible solutions to complex investment requirements. Site selectors expect detailed, project-specific information rather than generic promotional materials, and transparent communication, reliable data and the ability to bring the right stakeholders together can make a significant difference to an investor’s experience.
Site readiness, energy and predictability are critical
Industrial site availability and infrastructure readiness were among the central themes of the conference. A site does not need to be fully developed to attract investor interest – but investors do need to understand what infrastructure is required, what development could cost and how long it would take.
Energy has become decisive for advanced manufacturing, data centres and energy-intensive industries. Electricity costs, grid capacity, connection timelines and access to renewable energy can determine whether a project is commercially viable. Speakers also noted growing corporate demand for renewable energy and the value of involving energy providers early in the site selection process. Regulatory certainty is just as important. Investors need predictable permitting procedures, transparent requirements and realistic timelines – even attractive financial incentives cannot fully compensate for uncertainty or delays.
Together, these factors point to the growing importance of investment readiness: a destination’s ability to provide clear answers and support a project all the way from initial assessment to implementation.
New opportunities across specialised industrial value chains
The conference explored investment trends in semiconductors, clean technologies, life sciences, data centre supply chains and advanced manufacturing.
The semiconductor industry offered a particularly useful example. While large fabrication plants tend to dominate the headlines, the wider value chain also includes equipment manufacturing, specialised materials, advanced packaging, assembly and testing. These activities have different infrastructure, workforce and capital requirements, opening the door to a wider range of investment destinations. Similar opportunities exist in industrial machinery, aircraft components and technologies supporting data centres and advanced manufacturing. Another key insight concerned investment targeting. Rather than focusing only on countries or broad sectors, investment promotion agencies can benefit from identifying specific companies and specialised industry segments with strong potential for international expansion. Understanding global value chains and the individual requirements of companies is becoming essential to a successful investment strategy.
Smaller cities can offer a competitive advantage
One of the most encouraging messages of the day was that smaller investment destinations can compete successfully when they combine strong fundamentals with responsive institutions and effective cooperation. While every location must meet an investor’s essential business requirements, smaller cities can offer closer links between stakeholders, direct access to decision-makers and more personalised investment support.
This is where Riga stands out – combining international accessibility, a skilled talent pool, a high quality of life and close cooperation within its business community. The conference also underlined the importance of trust and long-term relationships. Site selectors value confidentiality, transparency, reliable local partners and consistent communication – relationships that often take shape well before a specific investment project emerges. Ultimately, competitiveness is not determined by size, but by how well a location understands investor needs and responds to them.
From global connections to lasting investment opportunities
The conference reinforced one central message: successful investment attraction increasingly depends on credibility, readiness and the ability to deliver. As investment decisions grow more complex, the role of investment promotion agencies continues to evolve – from promoting destinations to facilitating informed decisions, coordinating solutions and building long-term partnerships. For Riga, hosting the conference was a valuable opportunity to raise its international profile, showcase its connected business environment and engage directly with the professionals who influence global investment flows.
Business Riga sincerely thanks the Site Selectors Guild and all participating Guild members for sharing their expertise and perspectives, and for the excellent collaboration in bringing the conference to Riga. We also thank the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) for its valuable partnership and contribution.
We wish Lisbon every success in hosting the 2027 Site Selectors Guild European Conference and look forward to continuing the conversations started in Riga – and to turning them into new partnerships and investment opportunities.