With only a few days to go until Export Week, I am issuing a challenge to all North West businesses to reach out to one more market.
The UK needs to increase its exports to £1 trillion by 2020, and the government aims to get 100,000 more companies exporting by then.
Here in the North West we are playing our part, and for two years now I have run an Export Challenge to find 1000 new exporters in the region.
Both times we have met our target, meaning that we are one of the few regions in the UK where the number of exporting businesses has increased.
This year, I have another target. I want all exporting businesses in the North West to reach out to one more market.
If every current exporter achieves this, we could increase the GDP in the North West by an estimated £2 billion, significantly aiding economic recovery and giving a boost to our competitiveness as a region.
UKTI will be hosting a range of free events during Export Week aimed at helping companies across the UK to make the most of their overseas potential. In the North West, our events will cover a wide area from Europe to America and from the Middle East to Asia, concentrating on opportunities and trade tactics in each of these markets, with advice on everything from freight forwarding to finance.
I am also very excited to be introducing our third cohort of Export Champions, a group of successful international firms who are passionate enough about exporting to have committed to spreading the message around the regions, offering their own expertise and assistance to the range of support offered by UKTI North West.
These are companies who have already experienced the challenges and the benefits that exporting brings, and who have become stronger and more resilient as a result. I am thrilled that so many of them have agreed to join us, bringing the total of Export Champions in the region to an impressive 60. With representatives in every county and across a wide range of sizes and sectors, there will be a wealth of inspiration for new exporters, and I can’t wait to introduce them to you next week.
We hope you will join us on our journey reach out to the world … and if you are extending your international business please leave me a message below letting me know what your next market will be and why. Or let me know on Twitter … @CliveUKTINW #OneMoreMarket - or come and speak to me at one of our many events next week.
A full list of the events taking place during Export Week is available here: www.exportweek.ukti.gov.uk