A campaign truck encouraging businesses to export more will be calling at Lincoln as part of a national tour next month.

The University of Lincoln will be hosting the Export Hub roadshow on Monday 4th April as it tours the East Midlands as part of the Exporting is GREAT campaign.

The Exporting is GREAT truck will be located on Green Lane behind Think Tank on the day, bringing together a range of advice and practical guidance on how you can find overseas customers for your products and services.

The truck provides a flexible workspace including a Skype room connecting you to a network of overseas advisors who can talk you through the complexities of how to engage in different export markets.

One-hour seminars will run throughout the day in the truck but availability is limited and booking is advised:

• 10am and 2pm - e-marketplaces  and e-commerce without borders
• 12 noon - internationalising your website

A team of experts from a variety of organisations will be based in the Orange Room at Think Tank and available to answer any additional questions you may have on exporting. These include UKTI, the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, Trading Standards, intellectual property specialists, Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub, Santander and Streets Chartered Accountants.

Exporting is GREAT is a new programme launched last November which presents real-time export opportunities that businesses can apply for online – part of a move to get 100,000 additional UK companies exporting by 2020.

“Many Greater Lincolnshire businesses are in a position to sell more of their products and services overseas, but they often perceive barriers that prevent them from exporting,” said Samantha Harrison, Commissioning Manager for Enterprise at the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub (part of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership).

“Businesses tell us that awareness of the opportunities and more support from government and industry would help them to export more, so we are thrilled to be supporting Exporting is GREAT.”

Ian Harrison, UK Trade & Investment’s Regional Director in the East Midlands, said: “Lincolnshire is the first stop on the Exporting is GREAT roadshow's five-day tour of the region, providing face-to-face advice and presentations as well as live links to current trading opportunities in the Netherlands and the USA. 

"Our huge 32-tonne campaign truck, known affectionately as ‘the Export Hub’, is playing a major part in driving forward the Exporting is GREAT initiative which hopes to inspire more UK SMEs to take advantage of the global appetite for British products.

“It’s a great coup for us to be hosting the mobile business hub at Think Tank. We want to show we can support companies at every stage of their international journey – from identifying real-time sales opportunities to winning contracts overseas. The demand is definitely out there, and we hope that Lincolnshire businesses will be too.”

Refreshments will be served throughout the day with a Taste of Lincolnshire lunch served at 1pm.