British businesses are to be given unprecedented access to a global network of potential partners and customers at this summer’s International Festival for Business, which promises to showcase the strengths of the UK’s economic recovery.
Festival organisers have unveiled the details of a series of events that will provide UK firms with a one-off opportunity to tap into key emerging markets when the world comes to Liverpool and the North West in June and July.
Official IFB content partner, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) will host a number of events throughout the summer to help boost British trade overseas.
These include:
- UKTI Market Event: Africa, 11 June 2014, IFB Hub
- UKTI Market Event: Latin America, 12 June 2014, IFB Hub
- UKTI Market Event: Benelux & Europe, 19 June 2014, IFB Hub
- UKTI Market Event: SE Asia, 24 June 2014, IFB Hub
- UKTI Market Event: USA, 26 June 2014, IFB Hub
- UKTI Market Event: China & Hong Kong, 4 July 2014, IFB Hub
- UKTI Market Event: Japan & South Korea, 7 July, Langtree Park, St Helens
- UKTI Market Event: India, 10 July 2014, IFB Hub
Building on the success of events held during the London 2012 Games, UKTI will open the Festival with the British Business Embassy (BBE) event in Liverpool on 9 June at St George’s Hall, Liverpool, which will feature keynote speeches from economist Jim O’Neill, chairman of Cities Growth Commission, and Ron Dennis, CEO & chairman of McLaren.
UKTI will have a permanent presence at the IFB Hub, which will occupy two floors of Liverpool’s Mann Island and act as the “nerve centre” for the Festival, providing delegates with a brokerage system that connects them with overseas partners.
BT’s Global City Leaders’ Summit is one of IFB’s standout events, assembling more than 150 city leaders from around the world to examine a shared challenge: ‘how to generate sustainable economic growth as many emerge from a period of austerity.’
The event will feature keynote addresses from Bruce Katz, vice president of the Brookings Institution and internationally renowned advisor on creating urban prosperity, along with UK Minister for Cities Greg Clark MP, Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson OBE and the BT Group CEO, Gavin Patterson.
Other event highlights that will help British businesses make international connections include:
- Africa Rising – 10-12 June: A high-profile conference that provides a platform for African businesses and countries, Africa Rising will act as a route into the continent’s fast-growth economy
- International Trade Expo – 10-11 June: Aiming to attract upwards of 3,000 delegates, the event will target SMEs looking to export and help them reach their high-growth potential by connecting them with emerging markets
- Horasis’s Global India Business Meeting – 22-23 June: Described as an Indian Davos, the Global India Business Meeting is the foremost annual gathering of Indian business leaders and their global counterparts
- The Power of the Global Network – 15-16 July: A two-day conference with breakout sessions and a gala dinner that connects businesses across a range of sectors to stimulate the growth in UK exports
IFB has also been launched across the world from the US to Belgium, from China to India and more than 50 countries will be represented at IFB.
Crispin Simon, Acting Chief Executive, UKTI, said: “IFB is an excellent opportunity for UK businesses to find new international customers and boost British exports and I am delighted that UKTI is taking part.
“UK products and expertise are in demand the world over and UKTI stands ready to offer the services that businesses need to help them thrive abroad.”
Max Steinberg CBE, Chair of IFB, said: “To achieve the Government’s target of doubling UK exports by 2020 it is essential that our businesses are given the right opportunities to go global.
“This programme is international in its outlook and I’m confident we are providing businesses nationwide with the right access to markets which will help them drive economic growth and to forge long-lasting connections.”
IFB will offer unique opportunities for small, medium and large businesses to make international connections, exchange new ideas, promote their products, create new partnerships and seek new sources of finance.
The Festival is 50-days worth of world-class events designed to propel UK industry and broadcast the message of Brand Britain to the world.
To take full advantage of the Festival and the specific events, business delegates can register for free as a member of the IFB Business Club. Businesses looking for new customers, suppliers or investors can also log their interest with the free Business Brokerage service to identify potential matches.