The festival is a collaboration between key industry
partners, including Liverpool City Region, HSBC,
British Airways, the Department for Business and the
Department for International Trade.
The programme is centred around 9 high-growth industry
sectors, from creative industries to urbanisation and
cities. Each day offers 4 dynamic areas of activity for
delegates to participate in:
- Knowledge Hub
- Futures Stage
- Investor Programme
- UK innovation Hub
Business Secretary said:
This is the largest business festival in the world
and with thousands of visitors expected over the next
12 days, this is a great opportunity for business of
all sizes to connect with potential clients and build
new networks across the globe.
Through our modern Industrial Strategy we want to be
the best place in the world to start and grow a
business and I want to see all businesses take
advantage of the opportunities the International
Business Festival presents.
Discussing the international opportunities that the
Festival will bring, International Trade Secretary
MP said:
Businesses and investors from across the globe are
descending on Liverpool this month for the
International Business Festival offering an
unparalleled platform to showcase the best of British
business. From Sustainable Energy to Future
Transport, UK firms are leading the way at a time of
unprecedented global opportunity which has seen UK
exports rise to over £625 billion.
My international economic department will be at the
Festival encouraging international investment and
offering support to British exporters - from our
award-winning export credit agency, UK Export
Finance, to our network of International Trade
Advisors - to make sure the UK capitalises on this
opportunity.
Building on the work of the government’s flagship
modern Industrial Strategy, the event gives companies
looking to grow the space, support and expertise they
need to build new networks and expand into new markets,
with the event expected to secure £87 million worth of
export contracts. The 2016 event generated an estimated
£250 million in sales and organisers expect this year’s
event to secure £500 million worth of business deals.
The festival is hosted every 2 years in its home city
of Liverpool. One of the most vibrant and developing
cities in Europe, Liverpool is a UNESCO World
Heritage City and a winner of the European Capital of
Culture title. As Britain’s second largest regional
economy outside of London and the South-East, the
Liverpool City Region is home to more than a quarter of
a million businesses, and a key player in the UK
government’s Northern Powerhouse strategy – it is a
city with true entrepreneurial spirit. Liverpool is
connected to the world via 2 nearby international
airports – and just over 2 hours by train from central
London.
