NORTH Devon businesses have explained the benefits of the showcase.

Mike Wye Associates, of Shebbear, manufacture traditional building limes and ecologically friendly products for maintenance and new build schemes.

Paul Watts of Mike Wye Associates attended the Business Showcase in 2007, with the view of using a rather different platform to the trade shows the company would usually attend.

Paul said: "Like many local businesses, we do not have a high street presence and so need to be constantly promoting ourself to prospective customers.

"Luckily our sector is expanding as people look for greener ways of doing things, but we are also aware that we need to actively market the company, so the Business Showcase allowed us to do some active networking."

Convallis Software has just produced a software package to help businesses manage their client contacts, so they are attending the Business Showcase to launch the product.

Elaine Issac runs the company with her husband.

She said: "We are very excited as this is the first software we have designed for the market.

"Going to the Business Showcase will allow us to meet many business people from across Devon and give us the opportunity to demonstrate the software there and then."

Dave from Sphereworks, a Lynton based company which specialises in photography and in interactive photography, attended the 2007 Business Showcase at Caddesdown Park.

Dave said that as a relatively new company, formed following the securing of a Leader Plus grant, attendance at the showcase allowed Sphereworks to meet key business people in North Devon and gave them some serious leads.

One of these was John Rous, from Clovelly, who subsequently asked them to create an interactive virtual tour of the village, from the business Centre right down to the Quay.

Dave said: "It is great to be able to meet people face-to-face and makes phoning them that much easier as it's not a cold call.

"I would definitely recommend attendance at the Business Showcase to organisations that need to raise their profile and the opportunity to network is invaluable."