1. Chamberlink May 1-26.qxp_Chamberlink 29/04/2021 09:29 Page 26
Business News Return of trade conference The hugely popular Global Trade Conference, hosted by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, will be returning virtually in June, streaming to a global audience. Following the success of the 2020 Global Trade Conference, and the Transatlantic Conferences held in 2018 and 2019, this year’s conference promises to help businesses learn more about new markets and trading internationally. The conference will take place on 23 June and focus on the global economy following the events of the last year, with discussions around international connections, valuable trade insights, success stories from companies who have benefitted from an international footprint and how to grow sales and client bases. Among the speakers attending the conference are high-profile duo and leading economists Simon Hart and Joe Brusuelas from Chamber patron RSM.
‘The Global Trade Conference is shaping up to be a spectacular day’ Former Bloomberg chief economist Mr Brusuelas has more than 20 years’ experience in finance and economics, while Mr Hart sits on the board of RSM UK as international partner, with responsibilities to promote the firm to the global market. Last year’s digital event involved a global audience, attracting almost 600 delegates from 24 countries. The conference reached 2.8 million people on Twitter. Stefanie Bowes, international business manager at the Chambers, said: "The Global Trade Conference is shaping up to be a spectacular day with a week of informative sessions as well as forming valuable connections with key business partners to help boost business opportunities." “We look forward to welcoming delegates back to the conference this year.” The conference is free to attend for Chamber members and non-members.
26 CHAMBERLINK May 2021
High demand for exporting services bucks the trend By Philip Parkin Despite many reports claiming that there has been a huge slump in exporting activity in the first quarter of the year, the Chamber has yet to see much evidence of this. David Harris, manager of the Chamber’s documentation department, said there had been a continuing high demand for his team’s services from exporters. He did concede that when Brexit kicked in at the start of January there was an initial impact on exporting, mainly because of people who were not prepared for the new paperwork regime. He said: “Documentation services have been in high demand during the first quarter for us, but we only see a sub-section of what businesses are exporting, as not every exporter, country or product requires our services. During our first quarter, the madness and panic of Brexit certainly had a huge impact in January – as we were hearing from exporters who were
unprepared or were simply confused by what custom declarations or carnets were. “But Brexit was never going to impact businesses that export outside of the EU, such as in the Middle East. They already knew the score on exporting and documentation. “The businesses that struggled were those that had only ever exported to the EU, because they suddenly had to understand custom declarations and carnets. “Although general questions on exporting have slowed down, we are anticipating more enquiries on carnets - temporary certificates of exported goods. “As Covid restrictions ease, we have a lot of our motorsport and racing clients we know are waiting to go to expos and events overseas, but cannot at present due to restrictions. When they can travel again, they will need carnets in order for their vehicles to travel with them to these events.” • Report claims Brexit causes exports slump – see page 32
Vodafone partnership extended Wasps has announced an agreement to extend its partnership with phone company Vodafone. The Premiership team’s new deal will last until the end of season 2023/24. Vodafone began sponsoring the Ricoh Arenabased outfit at the start of the 2019/20 season. The extension of the agreement will see the Vodafone brand continue to feature on the front of the men’s and women’s rugby shirts, as well as on the dresses of the club’s netball team.
‘The support Vodafone have given the club has been priceless’ Adam Benson, Wasps’ chief commercial officer, said: “This new long-term agreement demonstrates the strength of our relationship. The last 12 months have been extremely challenging for so many of us, which is why the support Vodafone have given the club has been priceless, and underlines just how much we both value this partnership. “Everyone at the club is extremely proud to wear the Vodafone name on our kits and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the Vodafone team over the coming years.”
Staying connected (from left): Wasps’ stars Elizabeth Crake, Sophia Candappa and Paolo Odogwu
The partnership has produced various initiatives, including the 2019 opening of the Vodafone Business Lounge at the Ricoh Arena, designed to showcase emerging technologies for businesses, such as 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT) and high-speed fibre. Vodafone also conducted the world’s first 5G haptic rugby tackle at its Reinvent conference in the same year. Whilst wearing a haptic suit, Wasps’ centre Juan De Jongh, who was at the Sky Garden in London, was able to feel a physical tackle made by teammate Will Rowlands who was at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. Wasps also installed a Vodafone heat detection camera at its training ground to help safeguard staff and players as they returned to training following the outbreak of Covid-19. Anne Sheehan, business director, Vodafone UK, said: “We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with Wasps for a further three years. “This partnership continues on our promise to invest in the West Midlands region. We can’t wait to unveil new and exciting case studies bringing 5G and IoT to life, demonstrating the key role these technologies will play in transforming the worlds of sport and business.”
