The Biz!

Latest Homes sent business studies student Georgia Taggart to report on the Brighton & Hove Business Show 2010

I was thrilled to hear that I would be attending the Brighton & Hove Business Show for Latest Homes. It was the show’s fourth event and the largest so far, not only in size but also in credibility. All businesses, from local to national, have a fantastic opportunity to exhibit stands at the Hove Centre where the show has taken place since it first started.

The show is split across two floors; firstly downstairs where the seminars with various speakers hold conferences, and where BBC’s Dragons’ Den are filming budding and confident local entrepreneurs for their new series.

The producers commented: “We've had a really good day with a very high quality of entrepreneur.?It seems there is a real entrepreneurial flair in Brighton.”

The Brighton & Hove Business Show is, impressively, the only business show in the UK with a major international bank exhibiting, and downstairs
I found the friendly team from NatWest who have a stand providing clear
and helpful information on their business and commercial banking services. Upstairs is where the rest of the businesses have their stands, as well as a café – predominantly used for coffee refuelling – and a fantastic Business Speed Networking session.

The show itself runs twice a year, offering free entry to all visitors.?
With free conferences and seminars as well as free relaxing massages,
a chance to sample new business products, live bands and plenty more,
as soon as you enter the main hall you are blown away with the enthusiasm of the bustling crowd.

Thankfully, when I walked in I was introduced to the lovely Michaela Walker, the lady behind the event, who generously gave me a tour of the show; this happened to be my first business show and with a pre-conceived notion that it might be a sombre and intimidating affair I was comforted when I walked in and was welcomed by a massive number of smiling professionals, all wanting to have a chat to determine the possibility of you and your business being mutually beneficial to theirs. Michaela explained that the main aim was networking: it gives businesses a brilliant opportunity to meet a large number of other businesses all in one place.

Once I was left to my own devices I took my time and visited every single stand. This was exhausting but definitely worth doing. Each business had their own signature style that was reflected in their approach, from their dress to the fantastic freebies they were giving away (sweets, treats, pens and pencils to exquisite menu samples from The Meadow restaurant in Hove). One thing they all had in common was their thorough in-depth knowledge about their own company.?Every question I asked was answered fully and enthusiastically with no hesitations, which for me was really impressive; they really had the best people there representing their businesses.

One stand that was particularly popular was Callaways estate agents’. Julia Healey from Callaways kindly took 20 minutes to speak with me about her day. She described the show as buzzing and energetic and that it has been brilliant for raising brand awareness. She explained that usually with estate agents the link is business to consumer, whereas here it enables you to link business to business. Callaways are always looking to be diverse in their marketing approach, and this was the first time they had a stand at the show. Those who approached Julia’s stand said that she and her team were friendly, non-confrontational and helpful too.

Andrew Kay, creative director of The Latest magazines, was responsible for judging ‘The Most Commercial and Creative Stand Award’ which was sponsored by Grosvenor Casinos Brighton. He awarded it to vending machine supplier KSV, who this year are celebrating their 25th anniversary and who were thrilled to win the award. Andrew commented: ‘‘The standard of the stands improves event on event. This time I was looking not only at the physical displays but also at how the exhibitors were interacting with visitors. KSV not only had a professional display but the team working the stand were really engaging with the public in a way that was effective without being aggressive. I liked what they had done a lot.”

I?spoke to a few of the guys manning the KSV stand who seemed really impressed by the show and had made a lot of contacts with people enquiring about their business all day long.

Unfortunately I only managed to attend one seminar. This was run by Oliver Heath who held an educational and interesting talk on design and sustainability. His talk was aided by a simple Power Point presentation, which illustrated his brilliant ideas. I liked his insightful examples of water-saving appliances that could potentially save businesses a great deal of money. A glance around the room proved that everyone was engaged in what Oliver had to say.

The last part of my day was by far the most energetic. I was invited to witness the Business Speed Networking session, a concept I had never heard of. It was explained as ‘speed dating – but for businesses’. The concept is the same as speed dating where you get a certain amount of time to talk. In this case it was one minute, then a recording let you know your minute wass up and it’s the other person’s turn. After that everyone gets directed in either an anti-clockwise position or a clockwise position. The moment I stepped into the room I felt as though I had downed 10 espressos as the energy and enthusiasm in the room was phenomenal.

The fantastic thing about this was that as it’s so quick there’s no time for frills or selling tactics; everyone is speaking in bullet points – well, shouting rather – to make themselves heard and not to waste any valuable time. Business cards were flying around and everyone was so energised and eager to create successful business links with each other it automatically provided the perfect atmosphere for that type of session. There were all sorts of people taking part from a one-person landscape gardener to a representative from Northern Rock.

Overall, the experience of the show was fantastic, and I would definitely go again. The show’s success means they have already set the date of the next show. Mark 7 October 2010 in your diary, and if you get in contact now they are offering fantastic early bird deals!

www.brightonandhovebusinessshow.co.uk