'Exporting Is Great' Roadshow Tours NI

A UK Trade & Investment roadshow is touring Northern Ireland as part of a campaign to boost exports.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers MP and Invest NI CEO Alastair Hamilton officially launched 'Exporting is GREAT' roadshow at Titanic Belfast.

Theresa Villiers said: "We have so much to be proud of in Northern Ireland – great food and drink, a tradition of high quality manufacturing, and innovation and creativity everywhere you look. We want to share this with the world.

"The Exporting is GREAT tour is bringing advice to our doorsteps, so I encourage businesses big and small to come along to find out how this campaign could help transform their individual companies and contribute to building a stronger economy and brighter, more secure future for Northern Ireland."

The 32-tonne Export Hub will visit five locations across Northern Ireland including Banbridge, Derry~Londonderry, Antrim and Enniskillen. It will host a series of seminars offering export advice through talks, workshops and one-to-one meetings.

Alastair Hamilton, Chief Executive of Invest NI, said: "Many Northern Ireland companies are already successfully exporting to countries across the globe – from the Middle East to China and the USA.

"However, we want to encourage even more companies to look to markets outside of Northern Ireland, increasing their growth potential and boosting our local economy.

"The Export Hub is a great way to provide local companies with the opportunity to find out more about exporting. During the course of the week it will tour Northern Ireland providing local businesses with access to free expert advice on developing export capabilities, as well as the opportunity to hear from successful exporters and to learn more about what support is on offer."

On the Export Hub, businesses will be able to use interactive screens to access information to search the Exporting is GREAT website. This includes around 2,000 export opportunities sourced by UKTI's global network that UK companies can apply for online.

So far, thousands of businesses from across the UK have come to the Export Hub, which has visited dozens of locations, including those in Scotland and Wales.

Over 40 partners, from banks to accountants to logistics firms, are working with Exporting is GREAT to inspire and support 100,000 additional UK businesses to export by 2020. Firms can also apply for help via UK Export Finance, which aims to make sure that no viable export fails due to lack of finance or insurance.

(MH)