Global trade event in Birmingham

New Year, New Markets will see trade specialists from more than 20 countries and networks representing more than 40 countries attending at the city's International Convention Centre on Friday, February 9.

The trade event is being organised by the Department for International Trade and is open to all small to medium-sized businesses based in the West Midlands from experienced exporters looking to expand their global reach to those that have never traded outside of the UK before.

Andy Smith, international relationships manager for DIT West Midlands, said it was a rare opportunity for businesses to meet specialists from so many markets in a single day, to join interactive market seminars and learn of real time export opportunities across the world.

“Getting so many experts under one roof at the same time is a fantastic opportunity for ambitious SMEs based in the West Midlands. They’ll be able to target specific markets by setting up one-to-one meetings, browse in our expo zone to see if there are potential leads in markets they’d not thought of before and gain valuable insights into the global outlook for their sector.

“It’s open to any SME across all sectors – it doesn’t matter if it’s a very small business offering a niche service and wants to test the overseas market or an established company that is already trading globally," he said.

Experts from Africa, South East Asia and Central Europe, the Balkans and Scandinavia will join trade advisers from Western Europe and countries such as USA, Canada, UAE, China and India at the event.

The event will also feature an Expo Zone, where visitors can learn more about each market and the DIT Hub will enable businesses to connect to local advisers.

To register for the event and to book a one-to-one meeting with a trade adviser, visit www.newyearnewmarkets.co.uk