Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Guildford Business Expo has been postponed. The organisers are working hard to reschedule the event for our customers. If you have any questions, please call 01483 387138. Your nearest business expo is now the Reading Business Expo which is taking place on 28th February 2019 at The Madejski Stadium or the Basingstoke Business Expo at Oakley Hall Hotel on 28th March 2019. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience postponing this event may have caused.
Surrey Sports Park is just outside Guildford in the South East of England. Close to Guildford mainline train station and within a short walk of the town centre, you’ll find us just off the A3, near the Royal Surrey County Hospital. Surrey Sports Park has two car parks available with over 400 car parking spaces.
Surrey Sports Park, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7AD
Guildford is 30 miles south-west of London, on the A3 London-Portsmouth road. If approaching from London or the M25 (Junction 10), remain on the bypass (A3) until you reach the exit signed to the Cathedral and University. At the roundabout take the third exit signposted Royal Surrey County Hospital and University, Manor Park. Simply follow the signs to the Royal Surrey County Hospital for approximately a mile, and approach Surrey Sports Park on the left. Turn left at the traffic lights onto Richard Meyjes Road, which leads to the entrance of Surrey Sports Park.
Guildford is on the main line between London Waterloo and Portsmouth. Half-hourly train services run from Guildford to Waterloo, with journey times of approximately 40 minutes. For further information, call National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484950.
Stagecoach buses have exclusive access to the University of Surrey’s Stag Hill and Manor Park campuses offering a cheaper and more frequent bus service between our sites and the town centre via the railway station. They will also serve areas in North Guildford including Hazel Farm.
Take a look at all the answers to our most frequently asked questions, and if you've never been to one of our events before, this guide will provide you with all the information you will need to know.
The business expo is the biggest networking event locally and provides companies a place to do business. The event includes an exhibition hall, a seminar theatre, networking café, a connections wall and many other features that will provide you with support, inspiration or advice for starting or growing a business. The expo is an annual event and attracts hundreds of visitors. For many businesses, it is the ultimate event to be seen networking at in this region!
We recommend that you register in advance as it allows the organisers to estimate how many visitors are planning or would like to attend the exhibition. It’s also good practice to register before the expo so that you can receive event updates and emails to allow you to effectively plan your day at the business show. Even if you’re not sure whether you’ll be able to attend the event, we recommend that you still pre-register – you can always tell us nearer the time if you’re not able to attend the event after all.
You can register for tickets online via our website. Entry to the event is free, however we ask that you pre-register for the event. When you pre-register you will receive updates on the event, so you can keep up to date with everything we have planned, plus you'll be entered into our prize draws!
The business expo is FREE to attend as a visitor. This is made possible through the commitment of the exhibitors who have paid to have an exhibition stand at the event to promote their business. Most, or all, of the seminars, keynote speakers and workshops are also free to attend, as well as the speed networking and connections wall. Businesses who want to showcase their services and be part of the exhibition as an exhibitor will need to pay a fee for their exhibition space/stand.
There is no strict agenda for the business expo – you are free to turn up when you like and leave the event when you’re ready. We have put on a number of speakers, seminars and speed networking sessions and you can find the times of these events on our website. Depending on what you want to achieve from your visit to the expo, please plan your own agenda before arrival. We recommend that you plan in advance which seminars, exhibitor stands and keynote speakers you want to visit before attending the event to ensure you don’t miss any opportunities.
As an attendee to the business expo it is important that you take advantage of all the networking events we’ve organised at the exhibition. Make your visit to the event a success by walking around the exhibition hall, visiting the connections wall and perhaps paying a visit to the networking café. A lot of visitors have the chance to network with other visitors simply by buying a coffee or by starting conversations with other delegates in the networking zones.
Firstly, we recommend that you bring plenty of business cards with you to the exhibition. Never underestimate how many people attend these events and how many business cards you may want to hand out to new connections. You can also bring flyers with you as a visitor, to display at the connections wall (but remember to not actively distribute these in the exhibition hall as this is seen as canvasing). We also recommend that you a pen and note pad to write down ideas that you have when at the event.
As a visitor you are not permitted to sell directly to the exhibitors who have paid to have a stand at the event. However, we do provide visitors with plenty of opportunities to network and promote their products and services at the event. Be sure to stop by the connections wall, networking café, designated networking zones and of course the speed networking to ensure you take advantage of all of the free networking opportunities available to you as a visitor. Take interest in the companies who have paid to exhibit and if you feel like there is synergy between yourself as a visitor and an exhibitor, ask for their contact details and follow up with them after the exhibition.
The best way to network and promote your business locally is to exhibit at the business expo! Being an exhibitor helps to give your business a boost of promotion both at the event in front of hundreds of businesses and online before the event in our expo promotion and social media activity. Lots of businesses exhibit with us because they know it works. To find out more about exhibiting at the business expo, please go to our exhibiting or book a stand page.
If you didn’t have the opportunity to register in advance, don't worry. You can still come to the exhibition for FREE. Simply turn up on the day of the event and our events team will register you when you arrive at the registration area by the main entrance, so please allow between 5-10 minutes to register on the day of the event.
