A look back at the Lancashire Business Expo 2018
With #LBE2019 almost upon us, we look back at how Lancashire businesses kicked up a storm in 2018…
The Lancashire Business Expo arrived with gusto at Preston Guild Hall on Friday 2nd March. Often events, particularly of the business kind, fail to live up to the hype, and with a few years’ worth of snow thrown into the mix, it looked like the efforts of the local business community could be thrown to the wind (almost literally).
Not so. We’re a hardy lot in the North West, and no amount of disruption was going to stop this being the hugely successful event that all those involved had strived for. As Steve McArdle, Business Coordinator at Edge Hill University said, “it’s cold outside but there’s a warm welcome from Lancashire businesses!”.
#LBE2018 was the best-attended Lancashire Expo to date, having built on the success of the event, year-on-year. Far from being a corporate graveyard of the pop-up banner, the dynamic creativity and preparation of the stands was unprecedented. As Stephen Ward of Business Gift UK put it “never mind the snow, this is a show-go area!”.
The atmosphere was lively even before the doors had opened, as exhibitors visited each other’s stands and discussed their preparations and aspirations for the day. Businesses within the Red Carpet Zone were preparing to offer visitors a social space with sofas and coffee – no doubt very welcome.
There is always a staggering diversity of businesses to be found at the Lancashire Business Expo; financial, creative, colleges and universities, hospitality, home products and services, charities, office supplies and services, travel companies – there is no standard formula for the kind of businesses that exhibit.
“The day when the Guild Hall is filled with rows and rows of stands and exhibitors. A day to meet new faces, build client contacts and share local business success stories. Here’s to next year!”
Lucy Birchall of Rotherham Taylor Ltd., Chartered Accountants & Auditors
Organisers, Shout Network, were delighted with the turn-out, having had a week of sleepless nights manning a hotline to The Met Office! With two floors of exhibition stands packed with visitors throughout the day, inspirational guest speakers, and a determined team running the event with military precision, any worries soon proved to be unfounded.
This was a day when the Lancashire business community showed itself to be a force to be reckoned with. As Roger England of Right Direction Marketing told us, “The Lancashire Business Expo illustrates what an absolutely fabulous county it is to do business in.”