Liverpool’s “most powerful and effective ambassadors” prepare for IFB2016

Ahead of the International Festival for Business 2016 (IFB2016) coming to Liverpool next month, businesses from across the city are preparing to maximise the opportunities presented at the three-week event.

To allow local companies to capitalise on potentially lucrative commercial opportunities at the festival, organisers will later this month hold Get Ready for IFB2016 Business Sessions, during which representatives of Liverpool’s hospitality, retail, leisure and transport sectors will help the city’s business community prepare to strike deals with overseas firms.

When the festival was last held in 2014, attracting more than 30k delegates, it was calculated to have boosted the area’s economy by £14m. Now, organisers are expecting IFB2016 to have an even greater impact.

This year, the three-week gathering will host more than 100 international trade delegations. Around 40% of all delegates at IFB2016 are forecast to come from overseas, with companies traveling to Liverpool from all over the world to make deals with UK SMEs.

Ann O’Byrne, Liverpool’s Deputy Mayor, said: “Liverpool has a fantastic heritage as a welcoming, outward-looking international city and we look forward to seeing this famous spirit of hospitality in action during IFB2016.

“IFB2016 presents a brilliant platform to showcase the city’s fantastic leisure and retail offering, and having tens of thousands of visitors from all corners of the world is an undeniable commercial opportunity that can’t be missed!”

She continued: “These sessions will help businesses across the city to understand what IFB2016 is all about, learn more about the opportunities which it will create, equip them to be fantastic hosts and ambassadors for the city, and enable them to maximise the benefits of having this huge group of delegates right here on our doorstep.”

The director of the festival, Ian McCarthy, said the aim of the sessions will also be to ensure delegates at IFB2016 experience Liverpool as a “dynamic, beautiful city with a rich, varied cultural and leisure offering”.

He commented: “IFB2016 presents a brilliant opportunity to showcase all our city has to offer on a huge international platform, and city businesses are our most powerful and effective ambassadors, so it’s key that our resident businesses, particularly those in the leisure, retail, and hospitality sectors, are equipped with the tools they need to be the best hosts possible during IFB2016.”