More than 200 delegates from the UK and overseas attended the first-ever Motorsport Industry Association (MIA)(
www.the-mia.com) Driving Future Motorsport Business Growth Conference — an event that was held at the Silverstone headquarters of the Sahara Force India Formula One Team on 7 July (in the middle of National Motorsport Week). The three main themes were: enhanced cross-sector collaboration; the developing role of Motorsport Valley UK; and the importance of maximising international trade.
MIA CEO Chris Aylett said: “The passion and enthusiasm of the motorsport industry never fail to impress me. At the conference, we heard some great success stories from Grainger & Worrall, M-Sport, Alcon Components and Xtrac, all of which have grown their business through significant levels of export. We also heard from dynamic fast-growing enterprises such as KW Special Projects and Formaplex, which have based their growth on innovation and disruptive thinking.
“I’d like to thank UK Trade & Investment, the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, the LEP High Performance Technology Group, Mahle Powertrain, MEPC Silverstone Park and the Transport Systems Catapult for supporting the event — a great example of organisations working together in the name of innovation.
"Looking ahead, there has never been a more important time for us to speak with one voice as an industry. The UK motorsport sector is one of the jewels in our nation’s engineering crown. I urge motorsport businesses to look upon recent events as a huge opportunity to forge new relationships in new markets.”