International Business Forum to Officially Launch
1st July 2016
Members of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce's International Business Forum (IBF) will come together at a special event to discuss tackling the international trade deficit in the wake of the EU referendum result.
The forum, which has been created to help support existing international investments and trade across the Sheffield City Region, will be officially launched at the event and will outline its overall plans. The event, sponsored by NatWest and held on 12 July, will give members the chance to come together and address what the Sheffield Chamber has long argued is one of the UKs biggest challenges the reversal of the prolonged trade deficit, and how the recent EU referendum vote will effect this. At the event, Kiley Tan, chair of the forum and director at Mosaic International, will introduce the IBF and outline the current climate for business exporting. He will be joined by David Riches from the British Chamber of Commerce, who will discuss the national picture and how the Chamber network can assist UK exporters, and Nick Patrick from South Yorkshire International Trade Centre (SYITC). Kiley said: -The Sheffield Chamber's members' council has identified the reversal of the UK trade deficit as one if its key priorities to address in the coming months and the International Business Forum has been set up to help the city and the wider region to tackle this challenge. -The EU referendum result has created a huge amount of uncertainty but has given us the opportunity to assess the way we operate in terms of international trade and the support that is given to those who trade or want to trade overseas. -The UK government has targeted £1 trillion of exports by 2020, but they will not deliver the required result unless they are profitable exports. Businesses must engage in order for this to happen and this is what we want to encourage through the IBF. The IBF will be the voice of Sheffield Chamber members who carry out or want to carry out business overseas. Its aim is to position the Sheffield City Region as a key location for international trade to provide vital growth for the local and regional economy, shouting about what we can offer. The forum is here to grow the Sheffield City Region economy by attracting international investors and to assist members to find new markets for their products and services, acting as a valuable resource for them to call upon for advice and support. The IBF will meet once every quarter to discuss the latest developments in international trade and business. It is open to all members of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce regardless of size or international trade experience. The event will take place at Sentinel Brewery on Shoreham Street at 12pm and is free for Chamber members and £10 for non-Chamber members. To book a place visit www.scci.org.uk/events or call the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce on 0114 201 8888. To join the International Business Forum, email kiley.tan@mosaicint.co.uk or call 0114 201 8888.