I was lucky enough to attend the East London Export Club Launch Event sponsored by NatWest Bank at The RBS building in The Heart of The City on the 2nd June. The Club has been launched by Ade Awokoya who I met when I was the CEO of The Islington Chamber of Commerce, he was one of my most active members and so it will always be a pleasure to support him. According to the club’s site:
East London has a long -established industrial base of manufacturers, technology businesses and digital SME companies, while Newham, Greenwich and Essex are re-inventing themselves to be at the spearhead of innovation and a renewed export drive.
The event was well attended and aside from being about exports it also provided a forum for discussion on SME support with a focus on Business Growth and development.
The keynote address and presentation was by Lesley Batchelor OBE Director General of the Institute of Export & International Trade who introduced the value of understanding cultural differences when exporting for the first time.
There was a vibrant, if somewhat straightforward, Panel Discussion on the topic of “Go Global – East London and Beyond” and featured:
- Jim Foxall – MD, Ringshall Resources
- Levent Yildizgoren – MD, TTC wetranslate
- Bryan Treherne MBE – Chairman, South London Export Club
- Nick Howe – NatWest Regional Enterprise Manager, London
The discussion focused on how any business, regardless of size, can develop and grow a business through International Trade. Quite often small businesses, by small I mean micro enterprises and even one-man bands do not look beyond their own borders to trade which is a shame as there are so many opportunities for growth. I particularly appreciated the insight into networking as a means of developing international trade relations. There were an array of useful tips such as asking bank managers for international knowledge about new foreign markets and attending events hosted by embassies and high commissions.
Visit: http://www.eastlondonexport.org.uk/ to register for membership and tweet the organisation on @exportclubLdn
Written by Ronke Lawal –
@ronkelawal – http://ronke-lawal.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/the-launch-of-east-london-export-club.html
www.ariatupr.com