Organisers celebrate Two Counties Business Exhibition with nod to Eastern Powerhouse plan

The Two Counties Business Exhibition, held at Newmarket Racecourse, in Suffolk, featured more than 200 businesses.

It took place as plans to create an Eastern Powerhouse were sketched out by Chancellor George Osborne in his Budget.

The exhibition involved a programme of speakers and workshops alongside the business exhibition.

Highlights included advice on how to improve sales performance, a seminar on how a culture of creativity and innovation can make a business stand out, and how the national living wage will impact on local firms.

Mr Osborne’s proposals involve the creation of a new layer of local government - the East Anglia Combined Authority, which would sit above councils from Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk and Suffolk,

Graham Abbey, vice president of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and also chair of Newmarket and District Chamber of Commerce, said: “Devolution is a key driver of economic growth and as plans progress it is vital that business is fully engaged in the decision making process.

“Therefore it is good to see industries from all across Suffolk and Cambridgeshire doing business together and building new connections.

He added: “With the budget announcement in mind, it is great to be working alongside Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce to deliver this year’s Two Counties Business Exhibition, bringing together businesses from across Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and beyond to promote products and services.”