Telford firm hosts 32-tonne roadshow
Would-be exporters got some heavyweight backing – 32 tonnes of support, to be exact – as a Government campaign rolled into Shropshire.
The Exporting Is Great UK export roadshow came to SP Services in Telford as part of a nationwide tour, in the form of a 21-metre truck which opens up into a deluxe conference suite.
It is part of an attempt by the Department of Trade and Industry to get 100,000 more UK businesses to export by 2020.
SP Services managing director Steve Bray said: "It was a very successful event with many businesses calling in throughout the day to get advice from the experts.
"We were honoured to host the event to inspire more SMEs to take advantage of the global appetite for quality British products.“
Shropshire Chamber of Commerce trade advisor Christine Armistead, said: “A lot of companies think exporting is not for them but it’s easier than you think. They believe that their product is not exportable but come and talk to us.”
She said countries across the world “were crying out” for goods and services from Shropshire and the UK.
Paul Watts, head of international business development at SP Services, spoke live via a huge screen in the DiT export hub in Hortonwood to a dozen members of a Dubai sales team, another company executive in the Middle East and to a marketing manager from his hotel in Pakistan where he was on holiday.
The international video call to multiple destinations meant Paul could talk about his company’s range of bespoke medical bags which are used by fire, ambulance and police across the world.
An export “masterclass” was also hosted by the DiT’s Sarah Lumley-Holmes, who told Shropshire firms how important it was to “get it right” when designing mobile websites targeting countries abroad, how dotcom addresses were vital and social media was the key to success.
