Dear Reader,

I am pleased to inform you that the third UKIBC Annual Summit, held in Manchester on March 10th, was a huge success. The UKIBC chose Manchester as the host city to encourage more companies, especially SMEs, from outside London and the South East England, to be part of the Indian growth story. Therefore, we were delighted to see a good mix of firms across a range of sectors at this event.

Over 586 delegates attended the event. A CII delegation and some 30 organisations, including trade bodies from the UK and India supported us. There were lively discussions and networking between companies and business leaders. Participation in one-to-one meetings was a big hit. Delegates also received advice from industry experts.

Moving forward, the UKIBC is determined to work closely with the SMEs. According to a research by the European Commission (Internationalisation of European SMEs – July 2010), international SMEs are more innovative and have better chances of survival. It also notes that SME export to India is under developed.

Over the next 12 months, we intend to strengthen our existing services and roll out new information and business services aimed at raising awareness. We also plan to enhance B2B dialogue and create business communities around our primary sectors by introducing sector subscription.

I hope you find the information here valuable and see you at our next Summit.

Yours sincerely

Richard Heald
Chief Executive | UK India Business Council