The Future for International Trade Conference, organised jointly by Gardenex, PetQuip and BHETA, has been hailed as a huge success by more than 80 delegates from the gardening, pet and home improvement industries.

The conference, which took place at Stratford Manor Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon on Thursday, 17 March, featured a wide range of speakers covering topics such as export law and procedures post-Brexit, a worldwide economic forecast, and global retail trends and international market forecasts.

The delegates also heard from a number of successful companies on their export strategies and how they had achieved success in international markets and grown overseas sales.

The superlatives flowed thick and fast after the event as delegates left with a wealth of information.

The mood was summed up by Graham Robinson, head of operations and procurement at Wildlife World, who said: “I thought the presenters, key speakers and case studies were invigorating, knowledgeable and engaging. We certainly learned some valuable lessons and it was nice to know that the message we’ve been telling our employees, is what the current landscape looks like.”

Nina Best, international sales manager for Burgon & Ball, commented: “I found the conference incredibly helpful and interesting. It was great to hear from all the expert speakers in the various sectors and I found the case studies to be particularly insightful. The event also provided an ideal opportunity to network with delegates from other companies and speak with members of the trade associations.”

And Jonathan Stobart, managing director of Smart Garden Products, added: “I thought the conference was a great platform for people to get an overview of the challenges facing companies and the many opportunities available to them. It was also fascinating to hear the different views of how businesses are approaching international markets.”

The case studies from companies operating in the gardening, pets and home improvement markets – Spear & Jackson, Grow Sow Simple, ChickenGuard, Croydex and Monument Tools – proved to be particularly popular and were described as insightful and entertaining.

Adam Marsden, head of sales and marketing at Ancol Pet Products, said: “I found the case studies of particular interest – there was lots of good advice. It has been a very good day.”

These comments were echoed by Victoria Lowe, UK and international sales manager at pet company HOWND. She said: “Working for a small company aiming to grow its export business, I found the information from this conference to be invaluable. And I loved hearing how other companies had approached international markets. It has been brilliant.”

Speakers at the conference included government lobbyist John Arnold on the current UK political situation, and Tim Hiscock, from Strong & Herd, who gave a clear and digestible outline of current export procedures and compliances.

Delegates also heard an insightful and comprehensive presentation on global and retail trends in the gardening and home improvement markets from Euromonitor International’s Nick Stene, while government advisor Andrew Hood explained the legalities of international trade for businesses and the implications of current sanctions for business.

Following the round of expert presentations and the round of case studies, delegates and speakers took part in two lively question and answer sessions. There was also time allocated for networking with fellow delegates and to direct personal export queries to the wide selection of export and business experts who were on hand throughout the event.

Rounding up the conference was keynote retail speaker Shelley Boyle from ManoMano, an expanding European online retailer specialising in home improvement and gardening.

Amanda Sizer Barrett, director general of Gardenex and PetQuip, said: “The conference was an overwhelming success, and Gardenex and PetQuip are very pleased to have hosted the event alongside BHETA and sponsor Glee. Delegate feedback on the quality and content from all the speakers and export experts has been overwhelmingly positive and we are pleased to have delivered such a useful and enjoyable event.”

For more information about future events visit www.gardenex.com and www.petquip.com