Export Week, the stuff of which many a UK Trade & Investment blog/press release/editorial piece is made, is with us again. 300-ish words of facts and figures, running something like this: 'Export Week, 5 days of activity designed to encourage x number of companies to attend x number of events and to find out about the export opportunities in x markets'. All relevant and important stuff, and all undoubtedly true, but I was reluctant to add to the body of work already in existence with more statistics, relevant, important and true though they may be.
It seemed to me that a worthwhile exercise may be to extricate ourselves from the maze of statistics and to take a look at the people behind them. It's a bit like focussing in on how many copies of Harry Potter books J K Rowling has sold and how much money she is worth, forgetting that these numbers translate directly into that most incalculable and invaluable of things: kids understanding the joy of reading. Now that really is impressive.
As we stand on the threshold of our sixth Export Week, it seems important to me that the region’s businesses see UKTI as people whose aim is to help them succeed. To that end, this year we have called on our colleagues overseas to take part in a challenge via Twitter, by posting a picture of themselves in front of a national landmark. Surely this is precisely what social media is for - getting to know people, showing the person behind the business. So, by following @ukti_emids the delegates coming to ExploreExport during Export Week can see the people they'll be meeting. You haven't just booked an appointment with 'UKTI Canada'. Rather you'll be meeting Dana Dickerson, the blonde haired woman whose picture incorporates a vertigo-inducing image of the CN Tower. Through the power of social media, you don't feel like total strangers.
Similarly, we are calling on our UK companies to post their own selfies or team images on Twitter with a one-liner (140 characters!) about what exporting has done for them, in the hope they can inspire others to join the exporting challenge. (By the way, if you were hoping to be first on this you've been well and truly beaten to it by Westermans of Leicester who were extremely quick out of the blocks - well done to them.)
So this is your Export Week blog, light on statistics but heavy on community. Because this time, it's personal.