EEF special conference at International Festival for Business

Over 300 manufacturers from across the UK were addressed by Lord Price CVO, Secretary of State for Trade and Investment and Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, CBE, DL.

Lord Price told the audience that the UK manufacturing sector has a strong tradition of exporting and that the success of business and success of society are inextricably linked. The Government is committed to an ambitious target of doubling UK exports to 1 trillion and seeing an additional 100,000 companies exporting by 2020. As avid exporters, manufacturers are critical to helping achieve this goal.

Lord Bilimoria talked about how Britain had thrown off its image of being the "sick man of Europe' to now punch significantly above its weight. He highlighted the key role that Britain, and its manufacturers, still had to play in the global economy.

The conference was set up to provide an international perspective of manufacturing in the UK and to identify what it is about the sector that overseas markets and investors find so attractive. As well as key note speeches, there were two panel debates - one looking at trends in global manufacturing and the extent to which the UK is placed to capitalise on them, the second looking at the UK's track record on innovation.

Panellists included entrepreneurs Angus Thirlwell of Hotel Chocolat, Jenny Holloway of Fashion Enter and Will Butler-Adams OBE of Brompton Bicycle. They were joined by seasoned industrialists, including Dick Elsy of HVMC, Brian Holliday of Siemens and Dermot Sterne of Applied Component Technology.

The International Festival for Business - Britain's biggest-ever business festival - aims to provide entrepreneurs, investors, manufacturers, business leaders and suppliers from across the world with an unrivalled opportunity to do deals. This is the second time the festival has been held. EEF has supported it both times.

In 2014, it attracted delegates from all major markets, resulting in more than 200m in new investment, 80m in export sales and almost 6000 new jobs in the year following. This year its economic value is expected to be 26.5million.

Terry Scuoler, CEO of EEF, says: "This event was about ensuring manufacturers took pride of place at this year's International Festival for Business. It was about recognising our strengths in innovation and design and understanding the special mix of ingredients that makes the goods we manufacture loved around the world.

"The Government is committed to an ambitious target of doubling UK exports to 1 trillion and seeing an additional 100,000 companies exporting by 2020. As avid exporters, manufacturers have a critical role to play in helping achieve this goal. It is vital that they continue to receive every recognition and support."

For more information about EEF and the International Festival for Business please go to www.eef.org.uk.