With just a week to go, we preview what’s on offer in DPRTE’s Export and Business Growth Zone.
Export success is vital to the UK’s long-term sustainable economic prosperity.
The previous Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne recognised that when he earlier set an ambitious national target for the value of the UK’s exports to reach £1 trillion a year and for there to be 100,000 new exporters by 2020.
Since then, the referendum decision to leave the European Union has lent a new urgency to the need for the UK to find new and expanded export markets.
Defence, as one of the strongest sectors of the economy, and which enjoys an international reputation, will clearly play a big part in this.
In 2015, the UK won defence export orders worth £7.7 billion and its share of the global defence export market was estimated at 12 per cent, making the UK one of the world’s most successful defence exporters. The UK’s largest defence export markets were in North America, the Middle East and Asia.
In the same year the value of the UK’s security export sales was £4 billion and its share of the global security export market was five per cent with its largest markets being in North America and Asia.
With the US, Germany and China all increasing their defence spending and with a growing international terrorist threat, these exporting opportunities are likely to grow.
This will be reflected at DPRTE 2017, where one of the event’s four Knowledge Transfer Zones is dedicated to Export and Business Growth.
Supported by the Department for International Trade (DIT), the Export and Business Growth Knowledge Transfer Zone will provide exhibitors and visitors with specialist export advice and practical assistance, enabled through DIT’s Defence & Security Organisation (DSO) and its close working relationship with the Ministry of Defence and DIT’s dedicated Export Control Organisation (ECO).
Delegates will have the opportunity to visit the DIT DSO stand to meet civilian and military advisers and to attend a number of seminar sessions aimed at the UK SME defence and security community.
These will begin with Howard Gibbs, Head of the Small Business Unit (SBU) at DIT DSO, presenting on defence and security export support for SMEs with an introduction to the range of support and services provided by the Government to help SMEs in these key sectors.
David Malleson, Desk Officer – Brazil, Canada and Mexico at DIT DSO, will outline the advice and support available to companies which are looking to sell into markets overseas. This will cover the services that are available both in the UK and in the countries being targeted.
Captain Richard Merchant, from the Export Support Team (EST) at DIT DSO, will give delegates an overview of the military-related advice, information and support available via hands-on involvement from EST, all the way up to advice from senior military officers.
Andrew Page, Project Manager, Strategic Market Development, will give an overview of developments in the Defence Growth Partnership, with a particular emphasis on its impact on and benefit to UK SMEs.
Adam Thomas, Senior Press Officer at DIT DSO, will explain how SMEs can use the local, national and international press and media to their advantage.
Closing the presentations, Claire Harrison, Head of Business Awareness at DIT ECO, will talk on export licensing demystified, explaining the simplification of the export licence process and giving an understanding of which goods require licences, which licences to adopt, how to apply for them, and the various legal requirements and obligations.
Adam Thomas says: “This is an ideal opportunity for DIT DSO to brief companies on how to identify and manage opportunities for overseas exports, especially companies who are considering exporting for the first time.
“DIT DSO has offices in over 20 countries and we are keen to offer companies advice on how to do business abroad, especially in our 35 priority markets.
“We can also offer an opportunity to meet our Export Support Team to discuss how they can promote their presence overseas, meet the business development team and also explain how we can profile their capabilities and equipments to overseas media.’’
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