Britain’s Trade and Industry Department is capitalising on the Olympic Games to attract foreign investment. As series of events is being held in London to showcase the country’s investment potential. Among them are the the creative industries. But what do film, fashion, music and the like have to offer the foreign investor.

Lancaster House in the centre of London was a fitting scene for an event designed to attract foreign investment to British business.

Based close to Buckingham Palace, the historic building with it’s ornate interior, played to what foreign countries know and love best about the UK.

Ministers and captains of industry met to discuss the opportunities available to foreign investors in various British creative fields.

Take film for example.

There are few more quintessentially British movie icons than James Bond.

"007" is the longest continually running film franchise in history and celebrates 50 years in 2012.

Producer Michael G.Wilson, explains how the film series has become a lucrative industry.

Team GB performance kit designer Stella McCartney arrived fashionably late to talk to delegates about the “Business of Fashion’’.

And quite a business it is worth ￡21billion to the UK economy.

Fellow designer Anya Hindmarsh explained that the British brand is deservedly prevalent this year in particular.

The Department of Trade and Industry pulled out all the stops for the event.

A special focus is being placed on both former and future Olympic hosts China and Brazil; Global country summits are being held for them as two of the world’s most important economies.

And as the current Olympic hosts, UKTI capitalised on the buzz still being felt from the opening ceremony for the London Games in which Britain’s creative talent was on full display.

This was a sentiment shared by government minister Jeremy Hunt.

What was clear from the Olympic Opening ceremony was the abundance of musical talent that Britain has.

The UK is the world’s biggest music consumer, buying more albums per head than anywhere else globally.

And UK artists accounted for almost 12% of global music sales in 2010.

Music industry giants Sony were quick to highlight the reasons why, inspite of the threat from music piracy.

If the opening ceremony of the Olympics was a free sample of Britain’s creative industries then today’s event at Lancaster House was the Hard Sell. With 2012 arguably the year of Brand Britain, the UK Trade and Industry Department is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to attracting investors.

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