Following recent successes in Swindon and Bristol, organisers of the Business Growth Show are staging their next event in Gloucestershire this Friday.
More than 100 businesses have already registered to attend the show at the Cheltenham Chase Hotel, Brockworth, which promises free networking, a free lunch and free parking.
The hotel is sponsoring the show, which opens at 9am and continues until 3pm with speed networking and workshops throughout the day.
There will also be two seminars with speakers Edwina Silver explaining how to generate new business using LinkedIn, and Phil M Jones urging delegates to go forward to basics.
A very popular part of the previous shows has been the speed networking, which enables owner-managers and entrepreneurs to meet and begin new business relationships very quickly.
The novel scheme, in which attendees have just one minute to talk about their businesses and exchange cards before moving on to the next person, has already proved a great success at previous shows in the UK.
Friday’s event is organised by Business Growth Show regional event directors Neil and Tracey Davis.
Neil, who has run a number of businesses in the Bristol area, said: “It is very much like speed dating. When we meet a new person face-to-face, we know very quickly whether we want to get to know them better and whether we could do business with them or not.
“This way, business people can make the best use of their time. In this economy, businesses are being forced to maximise every penny they have.
“No one has time to sit around and spend endless hours at networking events that very often don’t produce results.”
The show is part of a nationwide scheme to boost business success at local levels.
Neil added: “I know that the economy is tough at the moment but we know many businesses that are doing exceptionally well.
“Businesses that are flourishing really focus on their networking and marketing and at the Business Growth Show this can be done in a friendly atmosphere in a very natural way.
“Nothing will ever change the fact that people buy from people and that face-to-face meetings are so important.”
Upcoming Business Growth Shows will be held in Cheltenham (September 7), Worcester (Sept 28), Bristol (October 31) and Gloucester (November 30)
