- Set to be one of the UK’s major trade and investment conferences since the Global Investment Summit, over 1,500 businesses from across the Commonwealth are expected to attend in person and online
- UK House will demonstrate ‘The Commonwealth Advantage’ for all nations
- Announced as the Prime Minister attends the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda leading up to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
Registration to attend UK House: The Commonwealth Business Hub has officially opened with the event taking place over eight days during Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, between Thursday 28 July and Monday 8 August 2022.
Building on the cooperative spirit of the Commonwealth Games and the UK’s climate leadership at COP26, UK House is a platform to bring together business and government leaders to discover opportunities for international partnership and innovations for sustainable growth.
Led by the UK’s Department for International Trade and in partnership with the region’s official economic development agency, the West Midlands Growth Company, the event is a key part of the Commonwealth Games Business and Tourism Programme (BATP) – the first economic legacy programme of its kind aligned to the Games, and the first to operate before and after a major sporting event.
International trade delegations from around the world will be hosted at The Exchange in Birmingham. Visiting delegates will broker business relations with investment experts, government officials, thought leaders and SME export from seven sectors in which the West Midlands and the UK are demonstrating global leadership.
Each day at UK House will focus on opportunities in one of the following seven sectors: Food and Drink, Education, Data-Driven Healthcare, Sports Economy, Creative and Digital Technologies, Future Mobility, and Tourism. The daily programme will extend virtually, with sessions accessible to online delegates who are unable to attend in person.
On 28 July, a Commonwealth Business Forum at the nearby International Convention Centre will see business leaders from across the Commonwealth gather to develop future business relationships and discuss how to mutually support each other as we ‘build back better’ after the global pandemic.
Mike Freer MP, UK Minister for Exports at the Department for International Trade, said:
As an independent trading nation and global champion of free trade, the UK is driving growth by attracting international trade and investment from across the globe into our dynamic regions, while supporting business to thrive and build back better.
We see UK House as a unique opportunity to take advantage of the 33 trade deals we have with our Commonwealth members, to celebrate the power of friendship and sport and to broker more trade – just a stone’s throw away from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Coinciding with UK House is the unique opportunity for businesses and investors to participate in exclusive West Midlands Sector Showcase Days, which will include site tours around the West Midlands.
Nigel Huddleston MP, Minister for Sport and Tourism at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said:
This major summit will leverage the global profile of Birmingham 2022 to drive new trade and investment to the UK, helping to grow our economy and level up access to jobs and opportunities. We can’t wait to welcome international investors and policy makers to see the vast economic potential available on our shores.
Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands, said:
Here in the West Midlands, we have been attracting global attention as the UK’s leading foreign direct investment destination outside of London for four consecutive years.
I’m delighted we will play host to ‘UK House’ – made possible by the Business and Tourism Programme we helped to secure – ensuring an economic legacy from the Games. We look forward to showcasing our cutting-edge innovation and extending a warm, sporting welcome to business and government leaders from across the Commonwealth.
The West Midlands’ economy is worth £157bn. It is officially recognised as the UK’s fastest growing technology sector and is leading world-class R&D in industries including future mobility, low carbon technologies and data-driven healthcare. Home to nine universities and three major UK cities – Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton – the West Midlands’ pro-business environment is supported by the leadership of the Mayoral led West Midlands Combined Authority.
To take part in the Commonwealth Business Forum, West Midlands Sector Showcase Days or the UK House sector days, either in person or online, business leaders and senior policy-makers are invited to register interest at: www.ukhouse2022.co.uk
BATP is sponsored by E.ON, Airbnb, Reckitt, University of Birmingham, Bruntwood and Gowling WLG.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will be the biggest sporting and cultural event to be staged in the UK for a decade, and it will be the largest event ever held in the West Midlands region. Source: BATP.
In July 2022, Birmingham will host the XXII Commonwealth Games, the largest multi-sport event to be held in England for a decade. Approximately 6,500 athletes and team officials from 72 nations and territories across the Commonwealth will come together in a 12-day celebration of sport and culture. Events will take place across Birmingham and the West Midlands, entertaining more than one million ticketed spectators and reaching a global broadcast audience of more than one billion.
The Business and Tourism Programme (BATP)
The UK House is part of the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP), designed to attract more investment, trade, visitors, events, businesses and students to Birmingham, the West Midlands and the UK. The programme will leverage the global profile generated by the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to highlight the wealth of opportunities and experiences available in the region and the UK. An accredited Games programme, it has been developed by a partnership of regional, national and international organisations, all aiming to maximise the benefits that the Commonwealth Games will bring – and generate economic growth.
A coalition forged across government, the private sector and regional agencies has brought together national and regional expertise to deliver the programme activity. The West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), the Department for International Trade (DIT), the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), and VisitBritain are working with the Organising Committee for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) / Commonwealth Games Federation Partnerships (CGFP) to deliver the BATP.
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