Home Yorkshire City region businesses explore ‘high growth, huge opportunity’ Middle East markets

City region businesses explore ‘high growth, huge opportunity’ Middle East markets

Nick Patrick (SYITC); Joe Hepworth (UAE); Melanie Rippon (SYITC); Freddie Blackman (Saudi Arabia); Julie Dunning (Emirates); Peter Cook (Qatar); Adam Hosier (Saudi Arabia) and Martin Hall (Kuwait).

More than 30 companies from across the Sheffield city business region met with representatives from the Middle East to find out more about ‘high growth, huge opportunity’ international markets.

Global Business Network representatives from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE travelled to Sheffield to attend the Meet the Buyer event, hosted by the South Yorkshire International Trade Centre (SYITC), to meet and explore opportunities with 33 firms from across the city region.

Nick Patrick, head of South Yorkshire International Trade Centre, said: “This event was a great opportunity for local businesses to meet with representatives from the Middle East to discuss their market needs and explore development potential within these high growth, huge opportunity markets.

“The content of the discussions was a general overview of doing business in each of the countries represented. However, following a networking lunch with event sponsor Emirates Airlines, most delegates booked one-to-one meetings with the overseas visitors to discuss their specific interests.


“The presentations were also followed by a panel discussion on the subject of Brexit and the feeling of business relations with the UK following our exit from the EU.

“The mood in the Middle East is on the whole very positive for the UK – as no specific agreements are in place at the moment, there will in fact be no change to the status of UK companies doing business in the Middle East and in time we should be able to agree a trade agreement which will be favourable for the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council region.”

The Global Business Network (GBN) is an initiative launched by the British Chamber of Commerce to help UK businesses across all sectors increase international trade.

Through the GBN scheme, SYITC has developed a network in more than 60 high growth markets and provides advice to support market entry and export initiatives in these countries.