Gatwick Airport to help businesses go global

Gatwick Airport and the Department of International Trade have launched a competition to help local businesses attend international trade shows to help them grow.

SMEs based in Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Croydon can take part by explaining in 150 words how their business will develop by attending trade fairs through the Gatwick Trade Fairs webpage.

Entrants have until midnight on 1 April to enter with winners being announced on 29 April, being judged by a joint committee from Gatwick and the Department of International Trade.

Three winning businesses will receive £2,000 from Gatwick to cover costs to attend their chosen international trade exhibitions.

Winners will also receive exposure to international industry leaders and government officials, receive briefings on local business practices and opportunities, and site visits to local facilities relevant to technologies and products.

Liam Fox MP, international trade secretary and president of the board of trade, says: “Businesses of all sizes should remember that there is a world beyond Europe and there will be a time beyond Brexit. This competition, which we have launched with Gatwick Airport, will help SMEs who may not have the time or resources to realise the opportunities of international expansion and exporting.”

Guy Stephenson, chief commercial officer of Gatwick Airport says: “SMEs are an important cog in the economic ecosystem of the South East and we recognise the many challenges they face. By supporting local enterprises to attend international trade shows we hope to provide them with an important step up that will help them to develop and grow their business for the future.”

According to Oxford Economics, businesses in the Gatwick Diamond area are 50% more likely to export than those in other parts of the UK.

The research also says that £7.5 billion of international goods passed through Gatwick in 2017, supporting 113,800 UK jobs.