Our Director General, Lesley Batchelor, will announce the findings of this year’s International Trade Survey at the second annual Global Trade Review (GTR) UK Trade and Export Finance Conference.

Together with Mark Runiewicz, Chief Executive Officer of Trade and Export Finance Limited (TAEFL), Lesley will unveil the findings to an audience of 300 comprising of the UK’s corporate, government and financial sectors.

Recently launched in Westminster, this is the fifth year that the IOE has commissioned the survey – the largest independent report of its kind which captures the views of 2,800 companies.

The survey highlighted that although 72% of UK companies are more confident about business prospects in 2014 than in 2013 (up from 59% 12 months ago), almost 50% regard continued EU membership as critical to their business, up from 45% last year. This figure rises to 58% for businesses with a turnover of more than £10 million.

At the June 4 UK Trade and Export Finance Conference, Lesley will also chair one of the morning breakout discussion streams on public initiatives and geopolitical factors with particular focus on developing a support network for UK exporters and discussion about the impact of a Brexit on UK trade and exports by Rebecca Harding, Chief Executive Office of Delta Economics.

Other keynote guests at the one day event at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole include Paul Croucher, Head of Trade Finance and Insurance Solutions (TFIS) Group and UK Export Finance, Guy Warrington, Director English Regions, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and Susan Ross, vice-president of the British Exporters Association and Director of Aon Trade Credit.

Areas for debate include:

• whether government support for SMEs and MSBs is more accessible
• what support the government can provide for companies looking to export to ‘difficult markets’
• how the pool of exporters can be increased to aid targets for increasing export volumes
• is there still concern that finance is not being provided for SMEs

Other discussions include an outlook on UK manufacturing: the return of Made in Britain by Professor David Bailey from Aston University.

Will Clark, Chairman of the Trade Credit Committee, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and Head of Trade Credit UK at AIG will be concluding the day by assessing the future outlook for UK trade and exports.

The event follows on from last year’s highly successful conference and will bring together British companies of all sizes and focus on the best ways to increase UK export volumes. Another key objective is networking so that delegates can meet key stakeholders.