International Markets – The Sun is Rising

Alistair Elder reflects on the success of Business West‘s Trade Horizons Roadshow

– a series of one-day events bringing export discussion and advice to companies throughout South West England…

“I blogged in June about the importance of businesses across the UK recognising the value of international markets for future revenues and profits. I also wrote about providing mentoring on overseas markets strategy and sales at the Trade Horizons events being held by Business West across the South West.

We were delighted that over 350 companies attended the events to hear a fantastic range of speakers on how to develop your brand and business plus impacts and preparation for Brexit. There was also an Export Advice Zone providing individual one-to-one consultations on strategy and specific markets such as India, China and Latin America.

We are all aware the South West has an excellent range and depth of capability including manufacturing, media, engineering, food & drink, education and travel and leisure. Many businesses across the South West are owner managed and it is clear that passion in the product and the focus on quality stand our companies in good stead in the overseas trade market. The majority of the companies that I met are current exporters and it was fascinating to advise on future plans and markets, building on good foundations already developed across several continents.

There are several key elements to running a successful export business:

• Understanding of your target markets, buyers, distributors and end-users
• Products and services of value to those markets
• A clearly defined strategy and engagement plan that drives your growth

You will all recognise these as critical to your UK business success too. While there are additional things to consider when exporting, it can be very worthwhile as our trading environment changes and when you consider the opportunity for growth that trading around the world offers.”

Alistair Elder is Market Entry and Client Engagement Specialist at International Trade Matters Ltd.

For more information on how to develop those markets and drive your growth, you can contact Alistair using the form below:

The Trade Horizons Roadshow was held across the whole of the South West region and brought together by Business west and their European regional Development Fund and Department for International Trade funded project, Export for Growth.