94 international delegations made up of 687 companies from around the world are now confirmed to be visiting Liverpool for the International Festival for Business 2016 (IFB2016).
Delegates from 87 countries, including Japan, China and India have committed to the event which will take place for three weeks from 13th June. One of the largest delegations, bringing 45 companies, is from Bangladesh.
Delivered in partnership with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), the GREAT Britain Campaign and with the support of the UK Government, the festival will bring thousands of people to Liverpool to trade with UK businesses.
Through a competition run by its international network to identify exciting overseas export opportunities for UK businesses, UKTI has formed a multi-national delegation that it is bringing to IFB2016. It includes company CEOs and MDs from Brazil, Mexico, India, Japan, Hong Kong, UAE, Ghana, Nigeria, Italy, Cyprus and Turkey that are all looking to source UK products and services at the Festival. These companies will be attending the Exporting is GREAT event on the opening day of IFB2016 (13 June). New or early stage exporters should attend to obtain advice support and inspiration to accelerate their international growth. Register online here.
International delegates attending the IFB2016 will be travelling a collective two million miles to the festival to establish trade links with British companies looking to export products or services to global markets.
To attend IFB2016 and make the most of the business opportunities the international delegations will bring, businesses must join the International Festival for Business Club through the IFB2016 website.
Joining is free and it is the only way to attend the festival. It also allows local delegates to access IFB2016’s free digital matching service, which connects companies to buyers, suppliers, investors and other potential partners – from around the world.
Tech giant Microsoft has recently been announced as part of IFB2016’s “Meet the Buyer” service, which also includes businesses such as Heathrow Airport and UKTI competition winner, Harada Corporation.
Companies attending the IFB2016 that are members of the IFB2016 Business Club can access the “Meet the Buyer” programme to meet international companies looking to forge new trading partnerships and access exclusive business services and networking opportunities.
Chris Heyes, Head of International at IFB2016, said:
“The number of international delegations that are coming to IFB2016 continues to grow, presenting a fantastic opportunity for UK businesses to meet a global audience at one festival.
“Connecting with businesses from around the world, whether to do deals, find suppliers or develop new partnerships is what the IFB2016 is all about. The IFB2016 is an unmissable festival for businesses wherever they are from and this is why delegations are travelling from every corner of the world to attend.”
Christine Shih Cabestan of Microtech Medical in Hong Kong, Shailesh Jain of Metaform Enterprise in India and Tomoaki Kato, Medical Division Product Manager, Harada Corporation in Japan are all winners of UKTI’s Overseas Export Opportunities Campaign competition and will be attending the festival.
Shih Cabestan of Microtech Medical said:
“I am thrilled to be able to participate in IFB 2016 to represent booming Asia, and contribute to boosting biomedical and healthcare trade between the UK and Asia on this prestigious occasion. I am looking forward to establishing new contacts with creative UK healthcare companies and identifying innovative health care products to distribute in the Greater China area.”
Tomoaki Kato, Medical Division Product Manager, Harada Corporation, said:
“I am honoured to be a competition winner from Asia-Pacific. I appreciate UKTI Japan’s support, and our existing UK suppliers with whom we have established long term mutual success. I am very much excited to find our next opportunity, and am looking forward to meeting with innovative British companies at IFB2016.”
Shailesh Jain of Metaform Enterprise said:
“The International Festival for Business celebrates the ability to connect people, enterprises and ideas, it’s a common platform for everyone to reach out to the world.”