Portsmouth Business Expo

Portsmouth Business Expo is coming to the Village Hotel Portsmouth on Thursday 17 September, and it's being billed as the city's largest business show. It runs from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, so it's a morning and early afternoon thing rather than a full day out. The organisers, B2B Expos, describe it as a place to connect, get inspired and network with hundreds of local businesses, with 250 to 350 companies expected to turn up.

There are three main things going on at once. First, the exhibition itself, with over 40 local exhibitors showing their products and services. Then there's speed networking, which is a quick way to meet a lot of people in a short space of time. And running alongside those are free seminars and workshops led by business speakers from across the UK and Hampshire. You can move between them as you like, so you can spend your time chatting with exhibitors, working the room, or sitting in on a session.

It's aimed at professionals, business owners, entrepreneurs and local companies from Portsmouth and the wider Hampshire area, so it's a good spot if you're looking for networking, a bit of training or new business opportunities. If you're thinking of exhibiting, stands start from £495 plus VAT.

For everyone else, entry is free, though you do need to pre-register online. The venue is the Village Hotel Portsmouth on Lakeshore Drive in Cosham, PO6 3FR, which has more than 250 free parking spaces and extra overflow if it gets busy. It's easy to get to by car, being close to the A27, M27 and M3, and it's served by public transport too. The whole thing runs from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Thursday 17 September.