It will be the biggest concentration of business events globally in 2014, attracting more than 250,000 visitors from more than 100 countries across 50 days during June and July 2014. Hosted in the Liverpool City Region, the IFB will comprise well over 100 business focused events, underpinned by a major cultural programme.
It will run from 9 June to 22 July 2014.
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) have partnered with the IFB and are hosting a number of events over the summer. The festival is a key part of the government’s ambition to:
- promote economic growth
- rebalance the economy
- double UK exports by 2020
It is an outstanding opportunity for the Best of British Business to forge new international commercial partnerships and meet their global network on their own doorstep in and around the host city of Liverpool.
The UKTI contribution is on 5 levels:
The British Business Embassy event (BBE)
The BBE will take place on the 9 June in St Georges Hall in Liverpool and will be the opening event for the festival. The BBE will be themed on advanced and innovative manufacturing and will cover trade and investment.
IFB Business Club
The IFB have access to all delegate lists and every delegate will offered free Business Club status. Business Club status will give the delegate free access to the International Hub (see below) and to a package of support that will (where appropriate) include the offer of a package of UKTI support:
- free export health check
- market selection service
- business opportunities service
- special package of support for new export companies
- discounted overseas market research
- entry onto an export development programme
- expert mentoring
- opportunity to join subsidised overseas trade missions/exhibitions
- entry into an export competition (prize ceremony at the end of the festival)
Any UK delegate who meets our criteria for support will be offered a meeting with an International Trade Adviser (ITA).
The International Hub
There will be an International Hub for the Festival in a modern building on the iconic Liverpool Waterfront. The Hub will have event space and most of the UKTI events will take place in the Hub. There will be an ‘International Trading Floor’ with a fully IT equipped Overseas Buyers Lounge, meeting rooms, refreshments points and room for a range of support organisations to take space to provide guidance and support to UK SMEs using the Hub. UKTI will have the central stand in this area.
All International Festival delegates will have access to the International Hub and on registering to the Business Club on the website will automatically be offered a free ‘matchmaking’ service whereby they can identify other delegates who may be potential clients and book 1 to 1 appointments in the meeting rooms or Overseas Visitors Lounge. Delegates will also be able to request appointments with the advisers on the ‘Trading Floor’.
UKTI Events
In addition to the opening BBE and a UKTI presence at the closing event/dinner on 22 July, UKTI nationally are committed to running 16 events over the 6 weeks of the festival, 9 sector events and 7 country events.
Date Event - Location
9 June British Business Embassy - St George’s Hall
10 June Ports and Logistics - IFB Hub
11 June Africa - IFB Hub
12 June Latin America - IFB Hub
13 June Marine Engineering - IFB Hub
18-19 June Aid Funded Business – Rum Warehouse Liverpool
19 June Benelux - IFB Hub
24 June ICT - STFC Daresbury
25 June South East Asia - IFB Hub
26 June USA - IFB Hub
02 July Education and Professional Financial Services - IFB Hub
03 July Food & Drink - Knowsley Hall
04 July China/Hong Kong - IFB Hub
07 July Advanced Manufacturing - St Helens
10 July India - IFB Hub
17 July Creative and Digital - IFB Hub
17 July Green Economies/Renewables (Clean and Cool)
22 July Closing event and UKTI export competition awards ceremony - Knowsley Hall
Speakers announced for British Business Embassy
Leading business men and women from across the UK will speak at the British Business Embassy in Liverpool. Representing the best of British business to an international audience, they will discuss the global challenges and future opportunities for the automotive, aerospace and manufacturing sectors.
Speakers confirmed include:
- Ana Botín - CEO Santander UK
- Mark Elborne - CEO GE UK
- Ron Dennis CBE - CEO and Chairman, McLaren
- Jim O’Neill - Chairman of Cities Growth Commission
- Steve Varley - CEO, UK & Ireland, EY
- Sir Terry Leahy
- Luis Alvarez - CEO BT Global Services
Building on the success of previous UKTI’s British Business Embassy events it will take place at the iconic St George’s Hall, in the centre of Liverpool. It will provide a unique platform for senior decision makers from the global business community to come together with influential corporate thinkers and policy makers to hear about key themes for international economic growth and investment.
Focussing on UK strengths in the manufacturing, advanced engineering, automotive and aerospace sectors; the programme will combine key note speeches and panel sessions from senior Cabinet ministers, global business leaders, sector and market specialists.