6 reasons why you should visit the Buckinghamshire Business Expo

The Expo is the mother of all networking events; your best chance all year to network with as many businesses as possible under one roof. And that’s not all: you can also learn about the workplace of the future, how to reduce energy and how to win a Buckinghamshire Business Award!

The Buckinghamshire Business Expo takes place on Friday, March 6th at The Gateway in Aylesbury. The event will be jam-packed with businesses and individuals (other business owners and potential customers!) engaging in the networking event of 2020.

Need more customers? Can’t meet the right kind of people? Don’t have the time to attend lots of networking events?

The Expo brings everyone together in one mass networking event!

Read the 6 reasons why you should be at the Expo - either as an exhibitor or a visitor.

1 - Meet loads of new customers and clients

The Expo is like dozens of networking events rolled into one, bringing so many businesses and individuals together under one roof that you will be spoilt for choice as to who to speak to first.

If you’re visiting…

If you are coming along as a visitor (tickets are free for visitors), you will have the pick of up to 100 businesses to talk to, so you can learn how you can work together and then swap contact details to ensure you follow up on positive leads.

If you’re exhibiting…

If you’re exhibiting, remember that the other exhibitors are also there to network with you, so don’t stand still, move around the room and speak with everyone with a stand!

There’s no rush though, you’ll have all day to speak to the other exhibitors, and there will be a steady stream of people visiting the Expo throughout the day, which begins at 10 am and ends at 4 pm, so you’ll have ample opportunity to perfect your icebreaker.  

You can make a lasting impression with a great looking stand, complete with banners, interactive games (though think about the space limitations!) and treats (think fruit and chocolate!) to help you attract the crowds. You will also receive a toolkit full of promotional material to help you spread the word before the day.

You can choose your own stand location too, helping you get prime real estate for when the doors open to the public. We will also be trialing an interactive event app to help you arrange meetings and network before, during and after the event too.

Whether you are exhibiting or visiting, you will remember March 6th, 2020 as the day you created all those new business relationships and strengthened existing ones.

Book your free ticket here > 

2 - Because other businesses benefited so much from it last year

Last year’s Expo was a great success, with businesses of all kinds telling us what a great experience it was and how it benefited them.

(We’ve also taken on board feedback from last year’s exhibitors and visitors, so this year you’ll get more of what you want: pure networking.)

Check out the photos taken on the day here, and watch the awesome video made of the day here, and read the wonderful words of praise from two local business owners who really made the most of the opportunities the Expo affords:

“By 9:30 am I was agreeing new business”

Elizabeth Adlington of Adlington Young Executive Coaching, said: “The Expo kicked off soon after 8 am and by 9:30 am I was agreeing new business. The venue worked perfectly and conversation buzzed all day. It felt more like a reunion than an Expo, and definitely worthwhile!

“What a good day it turned out to be. Everything was well planned by Buckinghamshire Business First, which filled me with confidence that it would be a day well spent.”

“We had several leads as a result”

Cube Video were one of the sponsors of last year’s Expo and created the above video of the day. They also exhibited, as Co-founder and CEO James Hakesley explains: “The Buckinghamshire Business Expo was a great opportunity for Cube Video. We enjoyed building and strengthening relationships with new people and other businesses that were involved.

“There was an enthusiastic, buzzing atmosphere at the event and for us, it was very successful as we had several leads as a result. We are strong advocates of Buckinghamshire and Buckinghamshire Business First, so it was important for us to take part.”

Book your free ticket here >

3 - Be the first to learn about the 2020 Buckinghamshire Business Awards

We will be launching the 2020 Buckinghamshire Business Awards at the Expo, giving those in attendance the inside track on the new categories being added for 2020.

You will also get exclusive top tips for completing a winning entry, so when you’re clutching a Buckinghamshire Business Awards trophy in October 2020, you’ll know it all began at the Buckinghamshire Business Expo!

4 - Reduce your energy consumption in our #NetZeroBucks Zone

#NetZeroBucks is a campaign that we have launched at Buckinghamshire Business First to create a net-zero Buckinghamshire economy.

Our #NetZeroBucks Zone at the Expo is sponsored by Aylesbury Vale District Council and will be packed full of businesses that can provide products and services to help local businesses reduce their carbon emissions in areas such as waste, lighting, heating, packaging, transport and more.

These businesses are driving innovation and change to contribute towards a better world, so whether you are visiting or exhibiting, you can pop by and learn so much about ensuring your business leaves a positive mark on the world.

Learn more about #NetZeroBucks here.

5 - Because of all the business support available on the day

It’s not just loads of businesses gathering in one place at the Expo, loads of business support organisations and helpful services will be stationed in the Business Support Zone too.

So after you’ve struck up plenty of new relationships with businesses, and start to wonder how you will manage to make the most of them all, visit the very organisations who can offer you advice, funding, services and more.

Buckinghamshire Business First will be joined in the zone by the likes of the Institute of Directors, Federation of Small Business, Buckinghamshire Libraries and the University of Buckingham’s Enterprise & Innovation Unit.

If at any point during the Expo you want advice on how to make the most of your membership with us, you can find us at stand 78 in the Business Support Zone. You can also come and see us if you’re having trouble locating another business’s stand, and our team will be able to point you in the right direction.

Book your free ticket here >

6 - Kick off the day by learning about ‘The Workplace of the Future’

You can start networking even before the Expo officially opens while learning all about the workplace of the future at Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s AGM.

Hear from guest speakers from:

  • National Film & Television School’s Centre of Immersive Technologies.
  • The University of Buckingham’s Centre for Computing & AI 
  • LinkedIn, who will launch their research into Future Workforce Trends across the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.

Buckinghamshire is a place of huge economic potential; strongly innovative and highly entrepreneurial, it lies at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc and will be a leading player in the massive growth initiatives that are planned around this landmark infrastructure initiative for the 2020s.

Come to the AGM to learn more about:

  • The priorities of the Buckinghamshire Local Industrial Strategy
  • How Bucks LEP investment is helping support economic growth across Buckinghamshire
  • How your business can work more closely with Bucks LEP and its Growth Hub, Skills Hub, Funding and Enterprise Zone teams.

Book your place here.

Invested members get a discount on exhibition stands

Exhibition stands cost £200 + VAT, but there are 25%, 50% and 75% discounts available for invested members, depending on their specific package.

Learn more about our packages here, and discuss your requirements with our events team on 01494 927130 or at events@bbf.uk.com.

Part of the Buckinghamshire Business Festival

The Expo is the centerpiece of the Buckinghamshire Business Festival 2020, which runs from March 2nd-13th.

See the Festival events schedule here. Remember that businesses can host their own events as part of the Festival too, so get in touch with us to discuss a possible event or simply go ahead and create an event on our website. Make sure it takes place between March 2nd-13th and we will promote it for you as part of the Festival.

Get in touch with our team to discuss specific queries or requirements you have: 01494 927130 / events@bbf.uk.com.

Business community ambassadors