At the 100-day countdown to the start of the International Festival for Business 2014 (IFB2014) being held in Liverpool for 50 days from June 5, CBI Director-General John Cridland said that the festival was part of a “national mission” to double the UK’s exports to £1trn by 2020.
He added that Liverpool’s heritage as a world-class trading centre will be crucial to its importance as host city for the IFB and said that, as a country of 60 million in a world of 7 billion people, “we’ve got to shout pretty loud and say we’re open for business”.
Mr Cridland went on to say that it should become the norm for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK to see the global market as the natural market in which to trade.
He also joined other business leader in urging SMEs and start-ups to be more ambitious and aspire to export from the outset, with UK Trade & Investment calling on business to raise its ambitions.
A spokesman for the body rammed this message home by saying that firms exporting to 20 countries should be exporting to 40, and those exporting to 40 should be exporting to 80.
IFB2014 will feature hundreds of world-class events and is expected to attract more than 250,000 visitors from across the globe, bringing £100m worth of investment into the economy.
It also aims to accelerate global business growth by connecting the smartest entrepreneurial minds and best business opportunities in the world through its conferences and exhibitions, which will be held at venues throughout the city and other parts of the North West.
As speakers at the 100-day launch held at the London Stock Exchange said yesterday (February 25), IFB2014 is designed to propel UK industry and broadcast the message of Brand Britain across the globe.