The East of England is a diverse region, rich in innovation and bursting with products, services and ideas that are in demand across the world. That means we need to get more of our companies exporting. If your company does well in the UK, the chances are it will do well overseas and you should be thinking about the proven benefits of exporting in terms of productivity and growth.
The Government has set a national target of 100,000 new exporters by 2020. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the many other business-focused organisations across the country must help achieve this. East of England companies can make a huge contribution to this challenging goal and the good news is it looks like we’re on the right track.
This has been a record-breaking year for our intensive introductory programme, Passport to Export, with more East of England companies signed up than ever before. I want that to continue.
Designed to get new companies fully up to speed so they can sell overseas, Passport offers new and inexperienced exporters six days of free support from an expert international trade adviser as well as support when visiting markets, tailored action plans, customised and subsidised training and ongoing help once you’ve started to export.
And as an added bonus we have recently announced that by signing up to this firms can also receive up to £3,000 in export vouchers, match-funded by the company, to help meet the costs of putting export plans into practice.
If you haven't started exporting or are just at the start of your journey, take a look at Passport to Export.
This flagship programme is just one small part of what we do. From overseas trade missions to advice on internationalising your website, UKTI has many ways to help your company gather the information you need to pick your next target market, design your strategy and get selling.
Events are a big part of our offer to regional companies too, and we’re gearing up for an exciting autumn programme. To get us off to a flying start we have our very own GREAT week roadshow at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford on Tuesday 10 September. The roadshow will highlight the opportunities coming up in the forthcoming GREAT Weeks - a series of 11 government led trade missions to key overseas markets from September this year until June 2014.
The GREAT weeks are part of a high profile campaign which looks to promote the UK as a place to invest, visit and do business in. They will give UK-based businesses the opportunity to join government-led trade missions to meet major buyers, potential partners, and influential opinion formers.
Each GREAT week will bring together the resources of government and the talents of UK business in an intense burst of events, networking and high-level discussions that will draw attention to UK expertise and create opportunities in sectors from food to fashion. So whether it’s education and training in Vietnam, luxury goods in Brazil or digital arts in Mexico that excites you come along to our roadshow and find out more. To register for the roadshow, or find out more about the missions visit the GREAT Weeks site.
For more information about how UKTI can help your business in the East of England expand overseas call: 0845 641 9955, email info@uktieast.org.uk or visit www.ukti.gov.uk.