HUNDREDS of people streamed through the doors of the Steam museum yesterday for this year’s annual Business Show.

More than 100 companies held stands at the show organised by Business West, sponsored by Excalibur with media partners Swindon Advertiser and Wiltshire Business, at the museum from 9am to 4pm.

There was also an impressive seminar line-up spanning many different industries including marketing, export, innovation and technology, delivered by industry experts.

Ian Larrard, director of Business West’s Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative, was pleased with how many businesses had taken up the opportunity.

He said: “It was a really successful day, lots of people and lots of businesses came along for the exhibitions and it’s very timely as we come out of the recession.

“This business show in Swindon is really the only one of it’s kind in the area and it’s a great opportunity for businesses to meet one another somewhere other than the usual networking forums.”

Main sponsor Excalibur CEO James Phipps, who also officially announced their partnership with Business West yesterday, was also pleased with how the day went.

He said: “It’s been a really successful day and we’re proud of the contribution we have made to the event.

“It’s a great opportunity to launch our partnership with Business West and share our insights and advice in IT and communication with businesses in Swindon and the region.”

Start-up business support company Outset was just one of the exhibitors showcasing their work.

Jane Pearce, marketing manager at Outset, said: “I have had lots of people coming along and asking what we do and how we can help them “By coming to the show we have the opportunity to tell people who we’re thinking about setting up their own business and how we can help.

“We have nearly 100 clients now in less than a year of running and we are thinking about running our own business show for our clients.”

Michaela Rowland, marketing assistant at inSwindon, was also on hand to explain what the group does to improve the town centre.

She said: “It’s been really positive.

“We really wanted to try and get the word out about what we do for the town centre. We want people to see the town centre as a good place to do business.”

Representatives from the Wyvern Theatre were also on hand to market their conference rooms and other spaces which are available for hire.

Richard Loftus, marketing manage, said: “The Wyvern is delighted to be here at the Business Show.

“We’re here to promote our ancillary spaces in the Wyvern including our restaurant and our panto-themed suite, which is ideal for meetings and parties.”