The mighty mixed with the minute at the inaugural fDi Forum in September, as corporates of all shapes and sizes discovered that crossborder expansion strategies look pretty similar whether you are a tech start-up or a manufacturing multinational.

The parallels between choosing where to invest and where to get married are many, as Courtney Fingar has discovered when drawing up a location analysis regarding where to hold her ceremony. The universal truth seems to be that regardless of the match being made, convenience and familiarity are hard to beat

After a period of gloomy forecasts, the green shoots of recovery are appearing in FDI figures from around the world, according to the recently published fDi Report 2014. Courtney Fingar assesses the drivers behind this sunnier picture, and which locations look set to thrive.

Looking on as events have unfolded in Crimea has been hard for self-confessed fan of all things Ukrainian Courtney Fingar. And while the FDI implications of the unrest in the country will be assessed through cold, hard facts in the coming months and years, the emotional impact is a different matter altogether.

The past few recession-riddled years have seen many town and cities shy away from big property developments. However, as economies recover, along with appetites for investment, the time is ripe for the truly ambitious locations to smarten up their looks and embark on a post-crisis makeover.

As more and more big companies shy away from the large projects seen pre-crisis, an increasing number of investment agencies are targeting SMEs and start-up firms. But with such a big hole to fill, IPAs need to establish a lasting relationship with such businesses that go beyond hosting start-up events.

Courtney Fingar is sorry that she can't answer the phone right now, but if you leave your name and your number the chances are that she won't call you back either.

The 'elevator pitch' may sound like an elaborate baseball term, but it is actually a useful tool to bear in mind when attempting to sell a location to a prospective investor. As Courtney Fingar explains, if you can't make your point in a couple of minutes, then it probably isn't worth making.

Even at their best, FDI stats aren’t exactly sexy, but the figures on show in The fDi Report 2013 are downright ugly. Page after page of minus signs and downward spirals makes a browse through the report uncomfortable, but sadly essential, reading. Don’t say Courtney Fingar didn’t warn you...

Empty bottles of Chablis are rarely of any use to Courtney Fingar, but inspired by an innovative lamp design in Italy, fDi's editor was on a mission, and thanks to a pan-European lesson in why cheap, skilled labour is highly desirable on even the smallest of projects, this particular electric dream was realised.