BRIEFING

BRITISH BUSINESS CLUB PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED

S

IR JOHN ARMITT, chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA),

has been appointed president of the British Business Club. The club, a unique online programme

created by UK Trade & Investment, aims to bring together international and UK companies and help develop a lasting business legacy for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Members will be able to network with thousands of other companies and showcase their expertise and know-how by creating an online profi le. The British Business Club website will also provide access to networking events, business activity and news, and potential opportunities to encourage and build upon commercial connections overseas. Commenting upon the appointment,

Lord Green, Minister for Trade and Investment, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sir John Armitt as president

of the British Business Club. He has been extraordinarily successful in helping to deliver world-class Olympic venues and is one of the country’s most highly renowned engineers. He is a real ambassador of UK expertise.”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on the British Business Club, visit www.britishbusinessclub.org

FAST FACTS The British Business Club is a partnership between UK Trade & Investment, London & Partners, the London Business Network and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, on behalf of the UK-wide London 2012 Business network. Membership of the British Business

Club is free and open to companies both in the UK and overseas. Members are able to promote

relevant business events as well as benefi t from exclusive offers, including London hotel discounts.

viewpoint my world

EMMA JONES AUTHOR & FOUNDER OF ENTERPRISE NATION

UKTI AND COBCOE SIGN STRATEGIC AGREEMENT

UK Trade & Investment and the Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe (COBCOE) have signed a new agreement to look at ways to work together to support UK companies doing business in Europe. Both UK Trade & Investment

and COBCOE share a common ambition to provide high-quality support, networking and

SOURCE: UK TRADE & INVESTMENT

THE CAPITAL SAW AN INCREASE OF 23.9 PER CENT, TAKING THE TOTAL VALUE TO £35.3BN IN 2011

OVER THE TWO-YEAR PERIOD OF 2010 AND 2011, LONDON’S EXPORT VALUE ROSE BY 60 PER CENT

assistance to UK-based fi rms operating in Europe. The new agreement replaces a previous memorandum dating from 2002. Susan Haird, deputy chief executive of UK Trade & Investment, said: “This is an exciting development. We are delighted to reaffi rm our relationship with COBCOE, which dates back more than

a decade. The new agreement provides a strong impetus for UK Trade & Investment and COBCOE to deepen areas of co-operation to deliver support to UK exporters. “Discussions on possible

new projects are already underway between us. There is real potential to work more closely together.”

Following Go Global events in November 2011, we’ve spotted an appetite from small business owners looking for practical advice and inspiring stories on how to take their company to the world. A year- long programme of workshops for 2012 has seen Mario De Bortoli-Jones of Lingo24.com discuss localisation of websites – he revealed that customers are four times more likely to buy from a site in their local language. Gabriele Castro- Fontoura discussed business opportunities in Latin America, and an April event focused on selling overseas via platform sites. In May, we are tackling payment and shipment while, in July, we will welcome Tony Wheeler, who developed Lonely Planet into the world’s largest independent guidebook publisher, before selling a majority stake to the BBC. Go Global workshops are free to attend – register at goglobalworkshops. eventbrite.com

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