Highland Spotlight takes place at The Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
FOR business, Highland Spotlight is the place to make connections.
With more than 50 exhibitors and hundreds more visitors, the region’s own business-to-business exhibition is well established as one of the busiest days on the business calendar and a highlight of Highland Business Week.
After a three-year hiatus the free-event is returning to the Kingsmills Hotel on Tuesday, September 27, when once again new relationships will be established and the groundwork for new deals will be laid.
“You will make lots of connections, but it isn’t necessarily about doing business there and then,” Paula Nicol, deputy chief executive and head of events for Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said.
“A lot of exhibitors have told us they have done tangible business as a result of Highland Spotlight. It all starts with the connections.
“It’s then up to exhibitors to make use of those connections.”
The value of the event is confirmed by the businesses who have become regulars at the event.
These include Inverness legal practice Macleod and MacCallum who has been attending the exhibition for several years.
Peter Mason, managing director of MacLeod and MacCallum is looking forward to returning to Spotlight once again.
He said: “Macleod and MacCallum have been attending Highland Spotlight for a number of years and it is great to see this returning after an enforced absence.
“It provides a great opportunity to make new business connections, and to catch up with existing connections, and gives our teams the opportunity to promote the full range of legal and property services that we can provide.
“Highland Spotlight gives a unique opportunity to establish business-to-business links, and also to help identify future business partners for projects that we have in the pipeline.
“It is a great chance to meet other business operators in a face-to-face environment, which is becoming increasingly rare in the online era.
“If you are considering coming along to Highland Spotlight then I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this, as it’s the only event in the Highlands where you can find so many businesses represented under one roof, and it is has always proved to be an extremely useful and enjoyable event which everyone at Macleod and MacCallum looks forward to attending.”
With many attendees pre-registering – saving time on the day – and more than 50 organisations exhibiting, the 2022 Spotlight is already generating a buzz of excitement and looks on course to be at least as successful as the last in-person Spotlight in 2019, when more than 500 people attended.
Exhibitors come from across the region, with businesses from Sutherland to Moray journeying to Inverness to showcase their goods or services.
As usual, the mix of familiar faces and first-time exhibitors includes a broad range of sectors, including financial and insurance services, legal experts, IT and digital services, health and safety and business support sectors, with third sector and educational organisations also in the mix.
“That mix is something that’s really outwith our control because we take bookings on a first come, first served basis, but we always seem to get a good blend of companies and sectors and it’s certainly no different this year,” Paula said.
Organised by the chamber, and backed by media partner Highland News and Media, Highland Spotlight again provides a snapshot of the varied Highlands and Islands commercial sector.
“There are some fantastic businesses in this region and I firmly believe that if you are looking for products or services, look on your own doorstep because you can source everything within the Highlands,” Paula said.
Alongside the exhibition, Spotlight includes its own programme of talks and seminars, which are free and can be booked in advance.
This year’s varied programme covers topics such as: protecting your business from averse risk from Brodies LLP; tips for promoting your business from AdSmart from Sky; and communication experts Fibre 1 providing details on how to get the best performance from technological developments.
“One of the things we do when we are talking to businesses who might be interested in running a seminar is ensure that there is a variety,” Paula said.
“We are really pleased with the selection this year. They are all very topical subjects.”
Out with Highland Spotlight, Highland Business Week offers the opportunity to take part in other seminars, discussions and networking events before the week comes to an end with the prestigious Highland Business Awards lunch at the Macdonald Drumossie Hotel on Friday, September 30.
Highland Spotlight is open from 10am to 4pm and entry is free. Business visitors can register in advance for the exhibition and seminars, but there will also be an option to register on the day of the event itself.
Keep in touch with what is happening and plan your visit by following Twitter
@InvernessChambr and using #HighlandBizWk
