Hundreds of businesses from Herefordshire and Worcestershire were inspired by the high profile panel of speakers at Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce’s Business Expo, sponsored by Hewett Recruitment, on Thursday 2 March.

250 delegates attended the Networking Breakfast at the Three Counties Showground which was introduced by Sharon Smith, Deputy Chief Executive of H & W Chamber, who will take over as Chief Executive on 1 April. Businesses then heard from Francis Martin, President of the British Chambers of Commerce, and keynote speaker Lord Digby Jones.

Visitors were full of praise for Lord Jones, who spoke on “The Regional Economy in a Post-Brexit World”, highlighting the importance of education and training for young people. Many attendees also enjoyed a free interactive seminar delivered by Google and Net Visibility on the future of online marketing.

The Expo provides an excellent snapshot of businesses in the two counties, with over 120 exhibitors from a variety of business sectors. Amongst the highlights of the exhibition was the Jaguar F Type Convertible exhibited by Listers Group Ltd, pottery making with Eastnor Pottery, a bounce ball competition on the Chamber stand and cupcake decorating with Orchard Valley Foods Limited. It was also a pleasure to welcome many new exhibitors to the Expo, such as Stuart Allen from #WorcestershireHour.

Rob Champion, Partner at Fisher German LLP, said: “We were absolutely delighted with our stand at the Expo – it was a brilliant event with lots of opportunities to make valuable new contacts and to promote our services. There was a lively buzz to the day, particularly in the morning. The breakfast was excellent and Lord Digby Jones’ address was definitely the highlight!”

The next Expo will be on Thursday 5 October 2017. For more information or to provide feedback about the event, email events@hwchamber.co.uk or call 01905 673 600.