Offshore safety training firm on crest of a wave

A NORTH West company which specialises in offshore safety training tripled its turnover in a year after securing a major new client following the International Festival for Business in 2014.

Complete Site Safety, which was only established in October 2013, secured contracts with DONG Energy, the world leader in offshore wind power, after meeting company representatives during the festival.

The DONG Energy work helped Complete Site Safety grow turnover from £230,000 in 2014 to £680,000 in 2015.

DONG Energy, which announced in November that it will sponsor the International Festival for Business 2016, has already invested more than £6bn in the UK over the past decade.

The company is currently building the Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm off the Liverpool Bay, which will produce enough clean green energy to power around 230,000 UK homes.

Liverpool-based Complete Site Safety delivers accredited, safety training to a range of businesses and private individuals, with special expertise in safety related to offshore industries.

Company directors Paul Williams and Tom Powell say being part of IFB2014 helped to turbo-charge the company’s growth. They are already considering how they will engage with this year’s festival in order to help drive their international ambitions.

Organisers of the second International Festival for Business 2016 (IFB2016) have confirmed that more than 100 trade delegations from across the globe are expected to visit Liverpool to take part in the festival.

More than 30,000 business delegates will gather for the festival in June next year for three weeks, with around 40 per cent of delegates expected to come from abroad.  Business from across the globe are due to travel to the UK specifically to do deals with UK SMEs.

Companies which took part in IFB2014 secured £80m in export sales and organisers are expecting an even better festival in 2016.

Powell said: “Securing DONG Energy as a client was important not just because of the revenue that deal delivered but also because of the credibility DONG Energy’s name lent to our new business. Their reputation as a business which leads the way in innovation, safety and reliability has been important in establishing our credentials in the marketplace.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that IFB2014 helped to turbo-charge our business growth and was a key factor in our success. We confidently expect IFB2016 to have the same impact and are considering closely how we can make the most of the opportunities which it will present. “

Lee Rollason, head of operations for Burbo Bank offshore wind farm at DONG Energy, said:  “DONG Energy is committed to investing in local content throughout our UK sites. At our Burbo Bank offshore wind farm in Liverpool we are fortunate to have a wide range of local service providers focussing on the maritime and engineering industry right on our doorstep.

“One such supplier is Complete Site Safety, which now covers a large part of our training requirements. The company has gone from strength to strength over the last few years and continues to cater for our needs, as well as the needs of several other industries.”

Businesses can take advantage of opportunities at this year’s festival by joining the IFB2016 Business Club. This will enable them to benefit from the festival’s Business Matching service, which connects companies according to their requirements and which will launch in early 2016.

UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has partnered with IFB2016 as part of the GREAT campaign and is also working to drive engagement with international partners.

Festival director Ian McCarthy said: “The festival really opens up new markets and opportunities to companies from a range of sectors. It gives UK SMEs the opportunity to connect, to forge new relationships and to do deals.”

Chris Heyes, head of International at IFB2016, said: “There is going to be a huge international presence at IFB2016 and we’re very excited about the potential this presents for UK SMEs looking to forge international links and do business on a global scale.”

Activity during IFB2016 will be clustered round three themes: manufacturing, creative and digital, and energy and environment.

The festival is supported by the UK government, main partners HSBC and BT, media partners The Times, Sunday Times and Bloomberg as well as festival supporters Arup, DLA Piper, DONG Energy, Heathrow, PwC, Siemens and Virgin Trains.