Worldwide attention for the International Business Festival

Held at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool, it is the biggest business event of its kind in the world and a core part of government efforts to boost exports and increase inward investment.

It will serve as a major platform for UK innovation and follows the inaugural Festival in 2014, which generated £280 million of investment deals and export sales.

The opening day alone features UKTI’s Exporting is GREAT event alongside Horasis’ Global Meeting, a gathering for business leaders to interact with Nobel laureates, heads of governments and key ministers.

At the heart of IFB2016 will be UKTI’s GREAT British Showcase, an exhibition of UK innovation, technology, design and creativity that will be unveiled on the opening day of the Festival.

From the first day to its close, IFB2016 features three weeks of world-class events that will provide an international platform for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Among the dignitaries set to appear over its three weeks will be commercial secretary to the treasury Lord O’Neill, Tory grandee Lord Heseltine, Business Secretary Sajid Javid, former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy and Ian Stuart of HSBC.

In all some 96 international delegations made up of 687 companies from around the world are now confirmed to be visiting Liverpool for the event.

Delegates from 87 countries, including Japan, China and India have committed to the event.

Through a competition run by its international network to identify exciting overseas export opportunities for UK businesses, UKTI has formed a multi-national delegation that it is bringing to IFB2016.

It includes company CEOs and MDs from Brazil, Mexico, India, Japan, Hong Kong, UAE, Ghana, Nigeria, Italy, Cyprus and Turkey that are all looking to source UK products and services at the Festival.

It will be a meeting place for those wishing to reach new markets to forge new connections and to secure new customers from key markets around the globe.