PEOPLE flocked through the doors of Salisbury City Hall for this year’s Expo event on Tuesday.

A range of businesses, from car dealers to marketing experts, picked their spot to promote their products at the exhibition, run by the Journal and Spire FM with Wood BMW/Mini as principal sponsor.

The free event provided an opportunity for companies from across Wiltshire to network with other businesses and customers.

Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott launched the day’s proceedings at a business breakfast meeting, speaking about the positive effect the Queen’s Jubilee visit and the Olympic Torch relay had on the local economy.

“Today is the start of the work and we are very pleased to support Expo,” she added.

Among those at the City Hall were event newcomers Eddie Deighton and Jon Sloan from An.X Agency.

Mr Deighton said his decision to relocate the firm to Salisbury in July 2011 was a strategic one.

“The day went very well,” he said. “The main point of having a stand at Expo is to maintain a good profile in Salisbury and have a long-term relationship with the city. The move has worked out well.”

Worthy Energy Solutions’ Joe Noke was also at the event for the first time and believes he will be heading back next year.

“It was great to network and meet businesses we didn’t know existed,” he said.

And it wasn’t just businesses that benefitted from having a presence at Expo.

Youth project The Unit, based in Endless Street, also had a stall at the event, highlighting the work it does with teenagers and young people in the city.

Project manager Heather Minto said: “The event is a great way of promoting the project, the aim of which is to provide positive activities and active engagement for young people.”