SMEs in food and drink urged to join UK Tradeshow Programme
The UK Tradeshow Programme offers government support from the to help UK SMEs successfully attend or exhibit at selected overseas trade shows.
It has been designed to enhance the capability of companies to succeed at international tradeshows and encourage participation by innovative SMEs at key shows that showcase UK capability.
SMEs in UK
Businesses must be small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (fewer than 250 employees), based in the UK (excluding Isle of Man or the Channel Islands), and either sell products or services which substantially originate from the UK, or add significant value to a product or service of non-UK origin.
The business must be UK VAT-registered to apply and those selected to receive grants must meet the financial support eligibility criteria.
Love Struck Smoothies has experienced the programme and said that exhibiting had seen it generate new leads for its planning move into the US market.
Help getting started
“Love Struck Smoothies started in 2004 in Borough Market in London. We have grown bit by bit and now are now stocked by some of the UK’s most well-known food, drink and leisure establishments such as Pret, Bills, Giraffe, David Lloyd and Soho House,” said Richard Canterbury, CEO, Love Struck Smoothies
“We applied to the UK Tradeshow Programme because we wanted to launch in the US but needed help getting started. We were delighted to be accepted onto the programme and to take part in the Department for International Trade’s British Pavilion at the ‘Summer Fancy Food Show’ in New York.”
The DIT recently highlighted its campaign ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ which has started a new phase highlighting food and drink exports.
