In March 2020, the Department for International Trade (DIT) invited me to become a UK Export Champion and I accepted with enthusiasm. The aim of this UK government initative is to enable established exporters (there are currently 500 Export Champions) to share our experiences. The idea is that we should help other businesses develop overseas trade.
Almost immediately, lockdown forced me to postpone all my travel and most of my marketing plans. Four months later, as I review what steps to take next, I know I’m not alone in facing a challenge.
At On Line Broadcasting we provide broadcast production and PR consultancy from our base in rural Oxfordshire to clients around the world. As a result, we effectively export almost all of our services. In recent years our top three export markets have been South Africa, UAE and Saudi Arabia.
None of the countries in which we regularly work has been unscathed by Covid-19. So far in 2020 my carbon footprint has reduced drastically. I have learned to travel less and use Zoom and Teams more.
If we’re producing news footage, it is inevitable that someone has to be on site to cover the story. However, we’re experimenting with new ways of generating content. Wherever possible we’ll use local resources and people to minimise the need to travel. We want to keep everyone as safe as we can.
This year hasn’t worked out as any of us expected, but we haven’t been idle during lockdown. Given the role of UK Export Champion, I’m looking forward to cooperating with other exporters and the DIT as we adapt to these strange times. Whatever the new normal looks like, overseas trade will inevitably change in our globally connected world. As we work towards recovery from the impact of the pandemic, we will all need exporters to thrive.