E3 Expo draws a crowd

On Thursday 3 March, the inaugural E3 Business Expo took place at Macron Stadium in Bolton with representatives of more than 500 businesses attending.

Other seminars followed throughout the course of the Expo, examining issues such as business security, communications, cloud computing and health and wellbeing. Another particularly popular session focused on the subject of grants and funding for business, while the final session of the day featured an expert panel answering questions from the audience about internet marketing and social media.

One of the more unusual elements of the E3 Business Expo was a Health and Wellbeing Zone, where delegates called in to receive free advice about staying healthy in their work and in their daily lives. Here, visitors also took advantage of complimentary massages and information about dealing with issues such as stress, sickness and absenteeism.

In addition to the broad spectrum of North West businesses at which it is aimed, the event also attracted a delegation of Chinese business representatives from the Guangdong province of China. This was part of an international mission organised by the University of Bolton, Bolton Council and senior public figures from Sihui City, which is under the jurisdiction of Bolton’s sister city, Zhaoqing.

"We put a lot of thought into the structure of the event and the idea of packing everything into a single day proved to be every bit as effective as we'd hoped. It meant that there were no 'dead' periods; there was always something happening, so people were able to use their time very productively. The seminars were clearly a big part of the event's appeal but so too were the networking sessions and the free business advice clinics run by CIM and others. We gathered a lot of feedback on the day and that process will continue as we follow up with exhibitors, seminar panellists and delegates. Overall, I'm very happy with how it all went but I'm sure there will be lessons we can learn that will make next year's Expo even better." Photographs and copies of the seminar presentations will soon be available on the E3 Expo website: www.e3businessexpo.co.uk/.