BUSINESS Link’s wide range of events, workshops and seminars offer a great way for companies of all shapes and sizes to strengthen their operations and ultimately win new business.

Business Exchange North East held earlier this year at Newcastle Racecourse and Conference Centre, is the region’s biggest and best annual business- to-business event and encompasses many of the goals companies and individuals can achieve by getting out there among their peers.

Business Exchange North East has helped companies learn, develop and grow through a combination of practical workshops, opportunities to do business, inspirational speakers and networking sessions, addressing the needs of specific industry sectors such as advanced manufacturing, energy, low carbon technologies and tourism along the way.

The event, which is just one of hundreds of events, workshops and seminars run by Business Link throughout the year, provided businesses with the opportunity to generate supply chain value by providing access to over 2,000 regional decision makers.

In addition it also gave more than 90 UK purchasing professionals the chance to do business with the very best suppliers in the North East.

One company that has benefited significantly from the Business Exchange event is Hexham-based soft drinks brewer Fentimans.

Having attended Business Link’s showcase event the 105- year-old firm is now doing business with a number of regional and national firms including Morrisons, National Trust, People’s Theatre, Glassworks and Starters and Puds.

In total, the event provided the company with 14 one-to-one meetings with a range of influential buyers – eight of which have now resulted in new business or additional opportunities with existing clients.

Contracts include supplying additional products to six local Morrisons stores and introducing more lines to retail outlets at National Trust sites nationally.

Fentimans director Geoff Wright decided to attend the event because of the broad cross-section of potential buyers lined up.

He said: “I saw the event as an opportunity to talk to local people within national organisations, where it would otherwise be difficult to gain an inroad.

“It also helped us to raise awareness with local businesses like Starters and Puds, to generate more custom at a grass roots level. I was also interested in speaking to organisations such as the NHS where I thought there could potentially be opportunities, but I didn’t know how to go about investigating this.”

Mr Wright said: “The event was very fruitful for Fentimans, boosting our business and providing an opportunity to make useful contacts. It was fantastic, well organised and definitely worth our time attending.

Where else can you get 14 potentially lucrative sales meetings in one day?”

For more information about how a Business Link event could help you start your own business, visit eventsnortheast.

co.uk For general information on the wide range of support Business Link has to offer, go to busi nesslink.gov.uk/northeast or call 0845-600-9-006.