Yorkshire businesses considering exporting their goods and services overseas will be able to hear views and receive advice about the best routes into new markets with the help of a panel of experts at the March ExportExchange Live event, which will be held in Harrogate.

With a line-up of some of the region’s most experienced exporters, the complimentary breakfast event will be held at the Taylors of Harrogate office. It will include evaluations of whether fledgling exporters should employ agents or distributors, or sell directly to the overseas market.

Among the panel of expert speakers will be Garry Nield, Taylors of Harrogate international director; Victoria Hopkins from commercial catering equipment manufacturer Hopkins Catering; and Denny Maude from Quality Bearings Online, a business that has become a leading worldwide online distributor of bearings for a wide range of industries. All three panelists have years of overseas trade experience and can offer advice, tips and cautionary tales based on their personal export experiences.

Garry Nield said: “Inevitably, there will be significant challenges along the way on any business’s export journey and deciding on the best route to market can be a complicated process. Decisions need to be made on whether you should attempt to sell directly to clients overseas, or use an agent or distributor, and while you can read around that subject extensively, there’s no substitute for being able to talk with people who have been through that process.

“All of us ExportExchange panel members have built up many years’ exporting experience and if we can use that to help other local businesses to grow through successfully selling overseas, then that is tremendously satisfying.”

Victoria Boldison, network manager at ExportExchange, said: “These quarterly events are a brilliant opportunity for SMEs in the Leeds City Region to gain an invaluable insight into exporting, from business people with some of the best first-hand knowledge around. Good advice can save a great deal of time and money when it comes to embarking on an overseas sales campaign and deciding on which is the best route to market is a hurdle that many businesses find daunting.”


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