THOUSANDS of visitors are expected at the BIC today (March 10) for day two of the Bournemouth Hotel & Catering Exhibition.
Ready Steady Cook TV chef Brian Turner donned boxing gloves and burst though a large paper strawberry to promote the show's "packing a punch" theme.
"I know everybody here is passionate about business, you have a good reputation in our industry, you are great trainers," he said.
Some 186 exhibitors have packed into the BIC's three main halls and ancillary areas for the 49th annual show, the seventh organised by Ringwood's CEM Group.
Around 60 per cent of the traders are from within an hour's drive of Bournemouth, 20 per cent from the home counties, with national distributors and manufacturers making up the rest.
Next year's show will be in two halls at the BIC while the centre undergoes an £18 million expansion and refurbishment, enabling the show to grow further in 2006.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article