I was delighted to chair the Benelux event at Durham Tees Valley Airport last week – it was a follow on to the International Festival of Business, where the North East had acted as host region for Benelux.
Michiel Veldhuizen (UKTI Netherlands) and Inge Haeldermans (UKTI Belgium and Luxembourg) did an excellent job of keeping an audience engaged while highlighting the benefits of exporting to their markets. It was followed up with lots of interesting presentations on Tees Valley LEP, the FSB and UK Export Finance.
Fascinating too…did you know?
- Brussels airport is the world’s largest chocolate sales outlet selling 220,000 tons per year!
- 86% of the world’s raw diamonds go through Antwerp
- Amsterdam has over 1,290 bridges
- Purchasing power in Luxembourg is the second highest in the world (second to Qatar)
- The average Dutch person cycles over 900km per year!
- There are 80 types of liquorice in the Netherlands
- The saxophone was invented in Belgium
- Robert Schumann, from Luxembourg, was the founding father of the European Commission
- The first printed newspapers arrived in Belgium
The event also enabled us to highlight our latest Export Week (10-14 November), when we have a series of exciting events lined up, especially ExploreExport during which more than 75 UKTI commercial directors from around the world will be in Newcastle on 11 November. In fact our Benelux colleagues will be back then to help follow up on the business leads.
I’d really encourage all businesses from across the North East to get involved and come and see us on the day, it promises to offer something for all businesses, large and small, and is a chance for you personally to make direct contact with a market you are interested in.
Other Export Week events also provide a chance for businesses to learn a bit more including:
- the IoD hosting an event with UKTI at Tharsus
- a series of breakfast events
- the NECC hosting a workshop on the details of exporting
- Newcastle University hosting the Inspiring Females Conference
- the WIN Awards at the Gateshead Hilton that will focus on successful exporting businesses
To find out more check out the Export Week website.
I hope to see you in Export Week!!