Business festival gateway to a brave new world

Allan Rice, co-founder and so-called chief beer geek at Atom Beers

Among the incentives for companies to attend IFB is Travel To Trade, a bursary for UK businesses of £150 per company available for delegations of a minimum of five companies.

Eligible businesses must be SMEs seeking to export for the first time or looking to grow internationally.

All firms must attend at least one event and have a minimum of one appointment made via IFB 2016’s digital matching service.

Yorkshire companies are set to be a major presence at the world’s biggest festival of business next month – which holds out the prospect of them opening up new markets at home and abroad.

More than 40 firms from the region are attending International Festival of Business 2016 (IFB) in Liverpool from June 13 to July 1, exposing them to an audience of more than 30,000 delegates.

Among them are two Hull-based firms, Battle Oats and Atom Beers, both of whom believe IFB will be the gateway to international markets.

IFB’s themes are advanced manufacturing, energy and environment and creative and digital. It is supported by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the GREAT Britain campaign.

The Yorkshire companies attending will have one-to-one appointments with suppliers, buyers and investors, export and investment opportunities, and free business services including legal, financial and marketing advice,

Battle Oats manufactures a range of five gluten free, protein-packed snack bars of different flavours but all made with 100 per cent natural ingredients.

It was launched in September 2014 and now has eight staff supplying CrossFit gyms, independent health stores, rock climbing gyms and high street retailers throughout the country, and also to an increasing number of customers in Germany, Spain, Italy, France and the Netherlands.

Owner Kevin Smith said: “As a small but growing UK-based food company looking to grow international sales the IFB presents itself as a great networking opportunity to establish and develop new relationships with trade customers abroad.”

Atom Beers, founded in January 2014 by Allan Rice and Sarah Thackray produces more than 40 beers and collaborates with some of the best breweries worldwide to supply the on-trade with full flavoured unique tasting beers.

Attending IFB 2016 on behalf of Atom Beers is Simon Shepherd, a marketing specialist on secondment from UKTI to help the business to expand international sales.

He said: “IFB 2016 presents both a rare and ideal opportunity for an ambitious and growing business such as Atom to make contact with the people and services that matter in its continued drive to build its operations overseas.”

Both companies are among about 20 Yorkshire businesses attending a UKTI food and drink e-commerce summit on June 14.

The remaining 20-plus Yorkshire businesses will attend two events – Games For All on June 27, which will help games developers go global, and Oil and Gas, Connecting the UK’s Capabilities to the World on June 21 at which oil and gas export and investment opportunities will be explained.