A COMMUNITY interest company is showing its support for a networking exhibition.

Open4Business, which works to benefit Dorset businesses, is backing the forthcoming Business Connections exhibition.

The exhibition, to be held on January 20, has already signed up more than 80 companies.

It will be held at the Redlands Community Hub in Dorchester Road, Weymouth, from 11am to 5pm.

Organiser Simon Marfell said: “We’re hoping to have more than 1,000 people walking through the door.

“There will be lots of networking opportunities and a large range of local businesses exhibiting.

“There will be seminars on the day on things like health and safety and pensions in the workplace.

“Hopefully there’ll be a lot of networking and a lot of business done on the day.”

Business Connections showed its solidarity with Open4Business at a Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting yesterday.

Mr Marfell said: “This morning was an opportunity to come and show a united front between Business Connections and Open4Business.

“We have to stay positive this year. Business Connections isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel.

“We’d like to thank everyone who has joined forces with Business Connections.

“This year is an exciting year and I hope we’ll all be successful in business.”

Julie Cleaver, managing director of Open4Business, said: “One of the main objectives of Open4Business was to provide a channel for new ideas.

“Open4Business had the first networking exhibition in Weymouth in the summer.

“We are a community interest company and it makes sense for a private sector company to take it over.

“O4B makes sure organisations are working together rather than separately.”

The date of this year’s exhibition was specially chosen for the Olympic year, Mrs Cleaver added.

She said: “We planned this date after the success of the first exhibition at Redlands.

“It will be on the 20th of the 1st, to be close to the name of 2012, the Olympic year.

“It’s an exciting time and we think it will be perfect timing for business opportunities.”

Gareth Jones, regeneration and business development officer for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, said the council supported initiatives like Business Connections which aimed to boost activity.

See bcdorset.co.uk to find out more about the exhibition.