A West Midlands firm is tapping a huge market for interactive drama training in Australia, thanks to the training and market research it received from UK Trade & Investment via Business Link West Mercia.

Staff at Nelson Training, based at Welland, near Malvern, received a comprehensive training package from UKTI covering the "do's and don'ts" of marketing overseas, identified by UKTI research.

UK Trade & Investment, the Government body set up to support British companies in overseas trade, helps companies in finding new markets particularly through its Passport programme, a flagship scheme that gives new exporters the training, planning and ongoing support they need to succeed overseas.

Nelson Training sessions use interactive drama with humour provided using actors, not lectures, presentation or role-play.

Training covers most aspects of customer care, including conflict or delivering bad news, staff appraisal and feedback.

Viv Nelson, managing director for the Malvern company, said: "The largest Englishspeaking markets first thought to be ideal were obviously Canada and the USA, but UKTI on-the-spot expertise and research in world markets redirected our thoughts toward Australia, where their culture and sense of humour are more comparable to that of the UK.

"We first seriously tested the market with a team of UK actors travelling to Australia.

"Through UKTI contacts in Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Queensland and New South Wales we were able to provide taster sessions in Sydney and Brisbane.

"Since then we have received daily inquiries from those who met us. Feedback response rate from delegates was 100 per cent, who found it 'unique'.

"We have now progressed by employing a team of actors from NEDA, the Australian equivalent of RADA that has produced the likes of Russell Crowe and the actors from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

She added: "Organisational abilities, expertise in overseas markets and guidance with selective marketing, provided by UKTI, certainly enabled us to establish ourselves very swiftly in the right part of the world with enviable contacts.

"In addition, we wouldn't have been able to afford it without the financial assistance from the Passport scheme.

"We have already conducted training for the NSW Chamber, The British Consulate and Key Corp International of Melbourne.

"Having only just returned from delivering training to staff at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney and more training for Key Corp we are preparing for rebookings in late summer and early autumn.

"We are also negotiating contracts with Key Corp and other international organisations with the potential to undertake work for the New Zealand Government and we are exploring the possibilities of establishing operational partners in Australia."

UK Trade & Investment's services in the area are delivered through Business Link West Mercia.

Eric Brown, director of international trade, was the man who helped set Nelson Training on its path to overseas success.

"The Passport programme helps companies to become structured exporters and provides funding to fully assess the potential of markets that we have identified with them," he said.

"Nelson Training won the MHDC Council business excellence platinum award in the arts category, has now expanded to a base of 120 client organisations and has trained in six countries."

* For more information about how UK Trade & Investment can help your business expand into new markets abroad, contact the international trade team at Business Link West Mercia on 0845 641 1506.