Perrys at the Opportunity Orpington Show

On Thursday, we had a stand at the Opportunity Orpington Business Show 2016, organised by Lollipop Events and held within the excellent Orpington Campus of the Bromley College.

The exhibition brought together many of the forward thinking local businesses based in and around the Orpington area and, judging from the buzz around the hall, there was a lot of business going on.

During the day, presentations were given on various topics aimed at the owner managed business.  Mine consisted of a whistle-stop tour of 10 topical areas, incorporating tax, the importance of having a Will and avoiding pitfalls when buying a business.  Others included, “Planning for Growth”,  “Networking Tips”, and a very informative talk on current issues facing many of us, as employers, from Esther Fagbemiro of Achor Employment Law.

My favourite, though, was the presentation from Google’s The Digital Garage, which included a short video to show the importance of understanding customers when selling on line.  Even if you don’t sell your products or services on line it is a very funny video and well worth a look. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sk7cOqB9Dk

Since coming to Orpington nearly 4 years ago (where has that time gone?) I have been impressed with the hard work and dedication of those tasked to keep improving the area for both businesses and residents alike.  Since the formation of the Business Improvement District “BID”, I have certainly seen great leaps forward, and these professionally run business shows are only one aspect.

If you are around the area, do keep an eye on the Orpington 1^st website for news of a diverse range of events and opportunities http://www.orpington1st.co.uk

But no show would be complete without the attendance of a 10 foot tall Tyrannosaurus Rex and I am delighted to say that, courtesy of Rent a Dinosaur, we were not disappointed!

Article written by Steve Hale