The event, at Haydock Racecourse, featured more than 100 exhibitors, was organised by St Helens Chamber and sponsored by Yorkshire Bank and A-Star Recruitment

More than 100 exhibitors took part in the St Helens Business Fair which saw more than 500 people come through the door – a rise on last year.

The event, at Haydock Racecourse, was organised by St Helens Chamber and sponsored by Yorkshire Bank and A-Star Recruitment.

Visitors were also able to attend a programme of free workshops, including two hugely popular presentations from Google’s Digital Garage.

Newcomers to the business fair were pleased with how the fair went.

Jenny Moxon from Century Cars said: “It was much better than I thought it was going to be and a lot busier than we expected.

“A business fair wasn’t necessarily our first choice in trying to gain customers and grow our business.

“After attending this we’re encouraged to attend lots more as a way of gaining more business. It was also very well organised.”

Exhibitors and attendees have also taken networking to the next level and into the digital sphere.

The #sthbizfair17 hashtag is still being used by companies across the region to network and make good on the connections made at the business fair.

Tracy Mawson, deputy chief executive at St Helens Chamber, added: “We were delighted with the success of the event and to be able to see so many businesses making new contacts and getting leads for new business. It’s also great to see the trend continuing online.

“This is what modern business networking is about, and the St Helens Business Fair has facilitated these connections.”