Businesses in Huntingdonshire showed that the local economy is still vibrant at the annual Business Fair at Wood Green Animal Shelter last month.

Organised by the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses, and supported by The Hunts Post, the Huntingdonshire Business Fair saw more than 120 exhibitors and more than 600 visitors attend to give their business a boost.

The event showed that the Huntingdonshire economy is still a thriving place, and with future developments like the Alconbury Enterprise Zone starting to take shape, it will continue to prosper, the chambers said.

Chief executive John Bridge added: “The Huntingdonshire Business Fair showed that the local economy continues to be a vibrant and prosperous place to grow a business. Seeing so many companies exhibiting and making new contacts is a very encouraging sign that the economy in Cambridgeshire continues to buck the national trend and be a thriving place for businesses.”

And business growth specialist Mike Yates said he was delighted by the response to a free seminar he held for delegates at the event.

“I wanted to give a selection of practical ideas around increasing business performance to delegates attending the fair that would help them take away some specific ideas around business planning, marketing and sales that, if implemented, could have an immediate effect on any business.”

What surprised Mike, he said, was the level of positive feedback and actual action taken from delegates this year.

One of the delegates, Paul Gibbons, a business development consultant from Westfield Health, commented: “My company asked me to prepare a business plan for the current financial year – attending the fair was perfectly timed as, although I’ve undertaken this before, Mike’s seminar gave me a brilliant, practical and simple structure for this plan that incorporated sales and marketing techniques that will help me achieve my targets .Needless to say I implemented it immediately”

Mike said: “The best I can ask for, on a free seminar such as this, is for delegates to take the information provided away and implement some of the ideas presented as the information presented is distilled from working with other businesses to accelerate their business performance – and it works.”

INFORMATION: The Huntingdonshire Business Fair was sponsored by Purple Haze and Urban & Civic, owners and developers of Alconbury Airfield and enterprise zone.