The B2B Portfolio of events provide unique exhibitor opportunities

SMEs account for nearly 60% of employment and 51% of business turnover in the UK ñ they are the powerhouse of the UK economy but they remain the least understood market due to their fragmentation and diversity. There is no magic wand when running a business and owners have to develop a host of skills to see them through all manner of issues. As a result there is a huge untapped market of business people searching for advice, information and inspiration.

The B2B Portfolio of events was launched in 2004 and has already provided 700 companies with business contacts, invaluable networking opportunities and delivered sales to nearly 30,000 visitors.

For 2006, 7 nationwide events are planned, sponsored by EDF Energy with media partners in The Sunday Times and Management Today. Intrinsic to each event is the premise that a regional approach will ensure that the time poor company owners and directors will find all their business needs under one roof, with a wide range of both local and national suppliers. A significant conference programme will embrace and address critical areas of business sustainability. Research from the B2B Midlands event in 2005 indicated that 52% of visitors had not attended another business related event, conference or exhibition in the past 12 months.

The B2B Portfolio of events brings together a number of successful and exciting speakers, who will be talking about their experiences and sharing their knowledge, booked to date are Simon Woodroffe from BBCís Dragons Den and YO! Sushi founder, Jacqueline Gold, the force behind Knickerbox and Ann Summers and Richard Duvall, the creator of Egg and Zopa. Excitingly for the London event Tom Peters, who twentyñfour years after launching a management revolution with his No1 global bestseller ëIn Search of Excellenceí will be challenging audiences to re-evaluate their business, while rock superstar and global humanitarian Sir Bob Geldof will be enthusing audiences with stories of his business life, offering a rare opportunity to benefit from the experience and entrepreneurship of this exciting personality.

Each B2B event is delivered to fully meet the needs and aspirations of the SME, while for exhibitors there is no substitute for the immediacy of face-to-face meetings with the ability to view, compare, test and talk to a receptive audience.

For more information on how to get involved contact info@b2bportfolio.co.uk