50+ Industry Trade Associations & Manufacturers Organise House Of Commons Export Briefing

Phil Black - PII Editor 07/04/2017

112 3 minutes read

Listen to this article

– Aims to highlight export success case studies as British industry calls for increase in government export investment

Multi-Industry Sector Export Briefing and Reception will take place in the House of Commons on Tuesday 25 April 2017

A roll-call of leading trade associations representing British industry sectors from film and TV, engineering, aerospace, mining and life sciences to manufacturing and consumer products is organising a multi-sector Export Briefing and Reception in the House of Commons from 2.30pm until 6pm on Tuesday 25 April.

Delivering presentations highlighting British export success across the country in scores of overseas markets to invited MPs, Ministers, Lords and senior civil servants will be a wide range of entrepreneurs who have utilised the services of trade associations to deliver export support, using the government’s highly effective Tradeshow Access Programme.

The TAP scheme, which has been in operation in some form or another for over 25 years, is a highly successful and cost-effective method of supporting British firms to participate in major trade exhibitions across the world. UK exhibitors at these shows win a minimum of £35 in new export business for every £1 of Tradeshow Access Programme grant received.

However, the Sponsors’ Alliance, a not-for-profit trade body representing over 50 national trade associations delivering export support and development, highlights the fact that government only announced funding for the first half of the current financial year (ie from April 1st until September 30th 2017) at the end of February and has announced yet another review of the TAP scheme, which is expected to take place in May this year and of which the outcome is uncertain.

“Exporters need certainty in terms of support from government, as their own budgets and business plans have to be set well in advance of any investment and commitment to the long-term development of a success export strategy”, points out Tim Collins, Chairman of Sponsors’ Alliance and Director of the Laboratory Technology of GAMBICA, whose exporters generate a return on TAP investment of £70 for every £1 of TAP exhibition support.

“However, sadly the Tradeshow Access Programme budget has dropped over the past 15 years from £21.9 million in 2002 down to £9.1 million in the 2016-2017 financial year. That’s a mere fraction of the support given to exporters in other countries such as Germany, Italy, even Turkey. And businesses and the trade associations have no current idea what the second half of the financial year will hold in terms of government TAP support, leaving businesses unable to plan effectively and associations unable to hold on to the prime stand positions they have been building up over many years of providing export support”.

Hard-pressed SMEs seeking to expand exports have also found their access to funding has been cut off, since government decided they would concentrate efforts on new exporters and high value or high-tech sectors, leaving the majority of firms who had received their 6 grant allocations without the opportunity for additional support to tackle new international markets.

Collins point out: “Yet as we move towards BREXIT, British firms are clamouring for greater support to be made available, either directly or via their sector-specific trade associations, to give them continuity of practical export help, advice, international sales leads and a presence in front of buyers at international trade exhibitions so they can open up or expand export sales. Such additional commitment by government would give hard-pressed businesses a fighting chance of delivering new export sales and securing greater international business to benefit the UK’s trading figures.”

The House of Commons Export Briefing will take place on the afternoon of Tuesday 25th April. Keynote speakers at 14.00 and at 16.30 will be: Barry Gardiner MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade and Shadow Minister, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy; and Tim Collins, Chairman of Sponsors’ Alliance

At the House of Commons Export Briefing, Sponsors’ Alliance will be launching its Manifesto for Export Support: Driving UK Exports, which is supported by 50-plus Sponsors’ Alliance trade association members. Across Sponsors’ Alliance sectors, there are 26,000 active exporters, which generate over £110 billion exports per year.

Members of the press are welcome to attend the Export Briefing at the House of Commons, where there will be opportunities to interview successful British exporters, their constituency MPs and representatives from the 50 plus sectoral trade associations taking part. Please contact Mark Roelofsen, Secretary of Sponsors’ Alliance, for a press invitation to the event.