Biggest-ever Export Week hailed a success
UK TRADE & Investment has hailed the success of the latest Export Week, which saw 500 companies in the North West taking part in 10 events.
The region’s UKTI Export Week events included free sessions including a major seminar in Lancashire where speakers included entrepreneur Matthew Moulding, economist Mark Berrisford-Smith of HSBC and Dennis Mendoros of aerospace supplier Euravia.
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The week coincided with the national launch of the Exporting is GREAT campaign, which piloted in the North West region earlier this year. The GREAT campaign is targeting almost three million people with the aim of generating 3,000 appointments with UKTI advisers and driving £1.2bn in export revenue from the leads it generates.
Clive Drinkwater, regional director said: “Export Week was a great success. We welcomed around 500 delegates to Export Week events across the region, many of them from companies that have never exported before.
“We know the UK’s future prosperity will not come from relying on domestic markets alone and exports are vital to our continued growth. While there is no doubt we have dramatically improved at exporting over recent years, there is still much more to do.
“Earlier this year I launched a challenge to find 1,000 new exporters in the North West. We are already well on our way to achieving this objective and I am sure that Export Week has given a boost to the region’s progress. Virtually any company can export its products and services – from one-man operations to large corporations employing hundreds – and I would urge anybody interested in exporting to contact UKTI and see how we can help.”
Meanwhile dozens of North West companies are travelling the world this week with three different trade delegations.
UKTI officials are with a group of energy and advanced engineering sector companies in Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia, while there are also trips to Brazil, Chile and Argentina in South America. This week there is also a trip to Moscow to explore opportunities in Russia, which is now served with direct flights from Manchester operated by easyJet.
