UK catering equipment companies exhibiting at Host 2019 in Milan this year may be eligible for a grant to help meet costs. The grants have been secured by CESA from the Department of International Trade, using funding through the Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP).
There are ten grants available, each of £1.5k. Companies applying must meet the terms and conditions and submit their application to CESA. To be eligible, the company should either be an SME or a business that has less than 250 employees and an annual turnover from £83k to £5m.
The next Host Milan show runs from 18 to 22 October 2019. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most important catering equipment exhibitions, Host regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe.
Steve Goodliff, chair of CESA’s Export Group, said, “Host gets bigger and better each time, with more exhibitors seeing more visitors and generating more business. Any company that’s aiming to export to Europe and beyond should take a good hard look at exhibiting there.”
CESA is a DIT Trade Challenge Partner, meaning that it has met the stringent criteria for the support and delivery services that it offers. Part of CESA’s remit is to help UK foodservice equipment companies looking to develop overseas business.
At Host, in addition to facilitating with the TAP grant applications, CESA can offer advice and support in all sorts of other areas – from finding accommodation and exhibition supplies companies to networking with VIP visitors.
Adande Refrigeration attended Host in 2017 with a TAP grant, and will be going again in 2019.
Chief executive Nigel Bell said, “As a small, private UK company it is essential to be able to showcase our patented technology in global markets. Trade shows in Europe, America, the Middle East and Asia give us access to the markets, but cost is an issue. The TAP grants, together with the support from CESA, have allowed us to exhibit.”
From April 2019 all companies receiving a TAP grant will be expected to report any export wins achieved from attendance at the event. The aim is to help the DIT show how grants support business success.
The information is confidential and will not be shared in a way that identifies the business individually. CESA will be in contact with any companies receiving TAP funding for Host to ask for their export-win data, immediately following the exhibition, then again after six months and one year.
The Catering Equipment Suppliers Association (CESA) is the authoritative voice of the catering equipment industry, representing over 190 companies who supply, service and maintain all types of commercial catering equipment - from utensils to full kitchen schemes