The Department of Business & Trade, in collaboration with the Lancashire Chambers of Commerce, held the successful networking event, ‘Made in Lancashire, Sold to the World’, with an aim to inspire and encourage businesses of all sizes to expand into international trade and exporting.
Held at Samlesbury Hall, the breakfast event welcomed small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), business support organisations, and local authorities to explore exporting opportunities and accelerate their growth in international markets. The event featured panel discussions facilitated by Richard Slater of Lancashire Business View. The panels brought together inspirational exporters, industry experts, and country specialists giving an insight into the international markets, and focused on discussions centred around inspiration, confidence building, international opportunities, and getting goods to market.
Terry Baker from The Nowt Poncy Food Company, said of the event; “I found it really useful. I’m a small business. It’s good to know what signs to point out to try and get information because it is like being a small fish in a big pond. Nobody speaks to experts about exports, imports. Who’s the best courier to go to and knowing what local organisations are there to help. Getting to hear from experts in their fields, learning about how to get started has been really interesting.”
Also in attendance was Andrew Kirkaldy from PM+M Solutions for Businesses LLP, who said the event was “really interesting and it’s great to hear that there’s so much help – especially on our doorstep here in Lancashire – to get started in exporting and to grow your business.”
The event gave businesses of all sizes the chance to network and make connections, and highlighted the fantastic support local businesses in the North have for each other alongside their willingness to succeed internationally. It helped businesses to learn how to drive exports out of Lancashire, bring investment in, and make their mark in international trade.
