The inaugural International Festival for Business (IFB) in Liverpool was directly responsible for more than £280m of deals and sales, a report examining the impact of the event has found.
The 50-day festival took place in summer 2014 and attracted 68,600 business attendees from 92 countries. It also featured Insider's first-ever Made in the UK exhibition and awards dinner.
Ahead of the 2016 programme of events, a report looking into last year's IFB found more than 600 companies secured export sales worth in excess of £80m, while 150 businesses signed investment deals totalling £200m.
In addition, the report said more than 6,000 jobs have been created by IFB participants, a figure expected to rise to 8,000.
IFB 2016 will start on 13 June 2016. It is being backed by the government, HSBC, DLA Piper, Heathrow, Siemens, PWC and Virgin Trains.
Max Steinberg (pictured), chairman of IFB2016, said: "The UK’s hidden business gems will come together to define the future of international business – showcasing the best Britain has to offer and forging long lasting global business relationships."
IFB2016 last week launched an ambassadors programme featuring Lord Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer and Manish Madhvani, co-founder and managing partner of GP Bullhound.
Read more at www.insidermedia.com