Business festival expands with expo

Visit Shropshire has announced its partnership with Shropshire Festivals at the upcoming Shropshire Business Festival on April 11 at Wrekin College.

The Shropshire and Telford tourism expo will take place ahead of the main festival from 12pm - 2pm. Tourism and hospitality businesses will come together for networking and topical presentations, including one on what the Budget means for the tourism industry.

There will also be a countywide leaflet swap and the expo is free to attend to support the hospitality sector.

Mark Hooper, project lead at Visit Shropshire, said, “We’re looking forward to repeating the success of last year’s tourism expo this April.

"With Shropshire's visitor economy experiencing continuous growth and the county being named in the ‘Top 10 Places to Visit in the World’ by ABTA this year, we want to keep the momentum going by bringing businesses together for a day of networking, insight and developing ideas.”

Following the expo, the Shropshire Business Festival will take place from 2pm – 7pm, where Visit Shropshire will be represented in the exhibitor hall.  

“The success of Shropshire Business Festival is in our ability to create an event where business leaders get chatting, share ideas, and form new, meaningful connections,” said Beth Heath from Shropshire Festivals.

“It’s a far cry from stale conferences and networking sessions. You have the chance to put your product into people’s hands and embrace a better way of networking.”

Lanyon Bowdler will be holding a lawyers’ lounge at the event where businesses can get free legal advice and Azets will be offering free sessions with their specialist accountants and business advisory team. 

Managed service provider Start Tech will host a cyber security zone with seminars on how to keep businesses safe from cyber threats and insights into using AI. 

To register for your free ticket visit www.shropshirebusinessfestival.co.uk.

Pictured: Mark Hooper and Beth Heath