There’s just less than a week to go until the Brentwood Business Showcase.

The event is returning following the success of last year’s and promises to be bigger and better than before.

Organised by Brentwood Borough Council and supported by Wortley Byers Law and TaxAssist Accountants - the Showcase is promoting Brentwood as a great place to locate, grow and do business.

Councillor Kevin Bentley, cabinet member for economic growth at Essex County Council, will be speaking at the event.

He said: “There has been a fantastic response to this year’s Brentwood Business Showcase and over 70 per cent of attendees will be attending for the first time which shows a huge appetite for business in Essex. Companies can still register for the event which will give them the opportunity to network, attend workshops and get valuable advice on running a business.

“Essex is one of the most entrepreneurial counties in the UK. It has great transport links to London, has international gateways in Stansted and Southend Airports and Harwich Port, so is the perfect place to start a business or relocate.”

The event will be taking place on Wednesday at Brentwood School, Middleton Hall Lane from 9am to 4pm.

Businesses will have the opportunity to promote, network with others and meet new customers and suppliers.

Google’s Digital Garage will be holding two digital masterclasses, Reach New Customers Online and Social Media Strategy. They will provide practical advice that should instantly boost the effectiveness of your online marketing.

Microsoft will talk about The Future of the Workplace; and why digital transformation is important to businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Hear from Sol-Tec, a Microsoft Cloud Partner, about how digital transformation has helped their business succeed, the challenges they faced and how they used digital changes to address these.

The Ask the Experts Panel will hear from five highly successful Brentwood businesses Baker Labels, K-Fit, Cheeky Panda, the Point 1888 and Wortley Byers Law on their secrets of growth and how technology has helped or hindered them.

Brentwood Chamber of Commerce will host a complementary drinks reception at 4pm where you can make valuable connections with other exhibitors and visitors to complete the day.

Leader of Brentwood council, councillor Louise McKinlay, said: “I’m delighted that Google Digital Garage and Microsoft will be heading the Brentwood Business Showcase – a sure sign of just how significant this event has become locally and in Essex.

"Brentwood’s entrepreneurial spirit is flourishing not only on the back of its history of business innovation, but now thanks also to its cutting-edge approach which has brought Brentwood to the attention of leading worldwide firms.”