A thousand plus Royal Show leads could mean business worth millions

Over 1,500 positive business leads, offering the chance of export deals worth millions of pounds, were obtained by the UK firms that took part in the Global Partnerships exhibition at this year's Royal Show.

The firms involved had the opportunity to meet high-powered delegations from more than 70 different countries during the four-day show held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.

Now the companies, all linked to agriculture and related industries, are busy following up on the contacts they made.

The exhibition was organised by the new International Agriculture & Technology Centre whose director, Philippa David, said, "Our aim was to give UK firms and organisations a showcase for their expertise and services and try to match them with the needs of overseas customers and potential

partners. They have taken that chance superbly.

"The Global Partnerships pavilion was a far greater success than we had dared hope for and clearly showed that British agriculture, technology and food processing have many major new market opportunities.

"The number and quality of the overseas delegations also confirmed that the knowledge and skills of UK food producers and processors, and of the people involved in related industries, are very highly regarded all round the world.

"The returns we have had suggest that the business that is likely to arise from these contacts could be worth millions of pound to the UK economy."

Global Partnerships aims to match the needs of developing countries with UK expertise. The initiative will form a major part of the work of the team at the new International Agriculture & Technology Centre (IATC) at Stoneleigh Park.

The centre is a joint venture between the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Trade Partners UK, the Royal Agricultural Society of England and regional development agency Advantage West Midlands.

Philippa David said, "During the four days of the Royal Show the firms who took part in the exhibition were involved in thousands of meetings between them and, from the feedback we are receiving, they feel that the great majority of those meetings will lead to future business.

"Even if only a fraction of the leads become deals the boost to the sectors

involved will not be insignificant. The team at the International

Agriculture & Technology Centre will now be working hard to provide the firms with all the support they need to turn talk into trade."

Among the firms at the event were family run Crop Systems Ltd from North Walsham, Norfolk who were named as the winners of the award for the best new equipment in the arable section in the whole of the Royal Show.

Company spokesman, Ray Andrews, said, "We had a great Royal Show. Not only did we win an award but we also met dozens of potential new customers from this country and overseas.

"The international visitors were particularly interested in what we had to show them and I am confident we can turn these leads in to orders in the near future.

"These sort of opportunities would not have come about for a business as small as ours but the support and encouragement we received from the Global Partnerships team."

There was a similar comment from Alan Phillips, director of Blue Merle of Alton, Staffordshire. He said: "The interest we had in our products and the atmosphere within the exhibition itself was outstanding.

"As a small firm looking to improve the quality of livestock breeding and welfare in developing countries we could not have asked for more."