News

March 01, 2013

Business expo to attract £100 million of inward investment

The International Festival for Business 2014, a 61-day expo of business events and exhibitions, is expected to bring £100 million of inward investment and 250,000 visitors to Liverpool.

It is being billed as the UK's greatest trade promotion since the Festival of Britain in 1951.

The organisers say that the Festival will be a global showcase of great British industry. It is to be held in Liverpool in June and July 2014. With hundreds of world-class events, the event is a key part of the government's ambition to promote economic growth, rebalance the economy and double UK exports by 2020.

This week's London preview of the event was headlined by Sir Terry Leahy, former CEO of Tesco, Lord Green, UK Trade and Investment Minister, and Joe Anderson, mayor of Liverpool.

Deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, said: "We have a huge number of budding businesses – of all sizes – in Britain. The Festival is a chance to show the world that we are open for business and will create new opportunities for our high quality home brands. The Festival is an exciting part of the Liverpool City region deal and is a great example of what our cities can achieve if they are empowered to drive economic growth."

Lord Green, trade and investment minister, said: "Getting more companies to export and attracting high-quality investment to the UK are key planks of the government's Plan for Growth.

"UKTI is proud to support the Festival and we will be working hard to help make it a success. Coming two years after the Olympics, it will help ensure that the message that Britain is open for business continues to be heard across the globe."