About Emerge Markets
Emerge Markets is a boutique business development and FDI consultancy. The firm operates from Belfast, Northern Ireland, with a centre of gravity in the GCC and a working footprint that extends across the wider Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus, Asia, Europe and North America.
The firm was founded by Roger Birt to bring a leaner, more directly involved approach to investor engagement and event-led business development. Principal involvement runs end-to-end. The people who scope the work run the work, including on-site at events.
We work in two directions.
For sovereign entities, government-related developers and event organisers, Emerge Markets delivers investor engagement, lead generation and event programme delivery. Roger's recent programme delivery, as a consultant to Grow FDI and previously with ROI Research on Investment, includes Invest Saudi participation at MIPIM 2024, 2025 and 2026, Expo Real 2024 and 2025, the New Murabba Seoul Forum, Cityscape Global, MAPIC, MIPIM Asia, and the NIDLP Gala Dinner in Shanghai. We are happy to be measured against the standard of those programmes.
For investment promotion agencies, economic development organisations, corporates and advisory firms worldwide, our work spans investor lead generation and appointment setting, trade show and roadshow programmes, commercial introductions, bespoke event delivery, market intelligence and in-market representation, across the GCC, Europe, North America and emerging markets.
The firm fields a deliberately lean core team, supported by trusted subcontractors and researchers engaged on a project basis.
Why Emerge Markets
Network.
Working relationships across the GCC investor community, family offices with MENA mandates and sovereign-adjacent developers, alongside long-standing connections across investment promotion agencies, economic development organisations and the global FDI community.
Team continuity.
The principals who scope the work run the work, including on-site at events. No handoff to junior delivery teams between sale and execution.
Languages.
English in the main project team. Italian, Arabic, Spanish and German available through the wider support team.
Targeting model.
Built for high-quality lead generation and boutique, high-value events alike. We index for segment fit and conversion-readiness, not gross registration numbers.
On-site delivery.
Concierge function designed for the way high-value introductions actually happen at major events: in corridors, after panels, between sessions. We are set up to capture and convert them.
Discretion.
We work to the privacy expectations of institutional, government and private-wealth clients alike. Investor pipelines, target lists and attendee identities stay confidential, with no third-party data sharing.