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Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, has today unveiled a packed programme of Welsh Government international trade missions for spring 2023, lending his support to Welsh businesses travelling the world in the next few months to develop their exports.

The announcement is made as the latest business delegation from Wales travel to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the Middle-East’s largest medical trade show, Arab Health, on 28th of January 2023. The Med Tech businesses will be joined by businesses from a variety of sectors seeking to explore opportunities in this global trade hub.

In March, Welsh businesses will be visiting Dublin to meet with potential new clients and partners, as part of a series of activities to promote Wales internationally around St. David’s Day. Ireland is the 4th most popular destination for Welsh exports and presents great opportunity for businesses across all sectors.

In addition, the Welsh Government’s agency supporting the creative industries in Wales, Creative Wales, is leading a mission to support businesses at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2023 in San Francisco. The delegation at GDC will be joined by other Welsh businesses looking to develop their exports in the San Francisco Bay area, a part of California with a GDP of over half a trillion US dollars.

From April, the Welsh Government will lead seven new trade missions to five countries across three continents. The markets and exhibitions in the programme have been selected to reflect current international developments which present real opportunities for Welsh businesses.

Visiting the export market itself can be a crucial element of winning and maintaining business, whether it be visiting an exhibition or networking with potential customers and Welsh Government is inviting Wales’ exporters to sign up to attend.

The new programme continues with a trade mission to Atlanta, Georgia for MRO Americas between the 18th and 20th of April. Airlines, commercial air transport maintenance, repair and overhaul suppliers, manufacturers, regulators, and industry experts will meet for the industry’s leading event in North America.

Between the 25th and 27th of April, businesses will attend JEC Paris, which is one of the leading trade shows for the composite industry, attracting 1,300 exhibitors and over 45,000 visitors.

Trade missions promoted under the Cymru Wales brand support wider efforts to raise the profile of Wales on the global stage. Building on Wales’ appearance at the FIFA World Cup 2022, businesses are returning to Doha, Qatar in May to develop new commercial opportunities.

June sees a busy time for Wales’ exporters with a number of trade missions taking place. Between the 3rd and 9th, delegations will head to the BIO International Convention in Boston, USA. The BIO International Convention attracts over 14,000 biotechnology and pharma leaders for a week of intensive networking to discover new opportunities and promising partnerships. A multi-sector delegation of businesses will also visit Boston.

Back in Europe, Wales will send a delegation to Amsterdam, Netherlands for Money 20/20 Europe between the 5th and 9th of June. This event offers the opportunity to connect with fintech’s boldest and brightest voices to delve into current challenges and shape together what comes next for the money ecosystem in Europe and beyond.

The programme then heads on to Paris, France for the iconic Paris Air Show between the 19th and 25th of June. Founded in 1909, it is the largest aerospace event in the world and a chance to network with key players in the global aerospace industry.

Economy Minister Vaughn Gething said:

Exporting is vital for many of our businesses, and the Welsh Government is committed to supporting them to expand and succeed.

As the latest delegation of great Welsh businesses travel to Dubai at the end of the week, I’m delighted to confirm a packed programme of trade missions this spring, including to North America, Europe and the Middle East. These are vital export markets for Wales, and I’m confident the missions will help firms across Wales build on their export success.

As we deliver the Export Action Plan, we will continue to build on the solid platform that has been laid over the last twelve months as we recover from the Covid pandemic. Attending targeted international trade exhibitions and markets is vital to growing exports and improving competitiveness of our businesses in Wales. I wish every business taking part the utmost success.

The full 2023 to 2024 programme will be announced in March as the Explore Export Wales Conference returns to the Cardiff City Stadium on 9 March and the Village Hotel, Ewloe on the 16 March 2023.