A new series of roadshows will take place across York and North Yorkshire next month to encourage more businesses to start exporting.
The free events, backed by York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith’s Business Innovation Fund, will visit Tadcaster, Harrogate, Scarborough, Helmsley, York, Catterick and Skipton during October.
Grants of between £3,000 and £10,000 will be available when the next round of funding opens in November. Businesses attending the roadshows will also hear from export experts and local companies already trading overseas.
Last year, businesses supported by the region’s export programme shared £200,000 in grant funding, helping them attend international expos and reach new markets. Together, they generated more than £15 million in sales.
York-based The Potions Cauldron, which makes magic-themed soft drinks, has been one of the success stories. Co-founder Phil Pinder said: “During our first year of exporting we sold more than 20,000 drinks but this year we have the potential to export more than 1 million.
“It’s not just the bigger businesses, some of the smaller, niche brands are just as loved abroad as they are here. With so many ways to find customers across the world through the internet, we have never been in a better time to start exporting than now.”
Jennifer Wood, of Ripon-based O&3 Limited and chair of the Business Board, added: “York and North Yorkshire is full of businesses with the right products, talent and ambition to export across the world. This is a big area of growth for our region, so I am proud that we are bringing the experts and the financial support together for our fantastic businesses.”
The Business Innovation Fund is made up of five programmes covering ‘Sector Activity’, ‘Spin-Out and Start-Ups’, ‘Get Exporting’, with ‘Great Ideas’ and ‘Get Funded’ to launch soon.
For more information, visit: yorknorthyorks-ca.gov.uk/project/business-innovation-fund
