Hundreds of business owners and entrepreneurs are in attendance at the North East London Business Expo today.

The event, at Leyton Orient FC’s Brisbane Road Stadium in Leyton, features around 100 companies advertising their products and services as well as a host of free seminars and workshops on how to make your firm a success.

The free annual expo, now in its third year, has been marketed as a chance to network with potential clients and other businesses as well as to learn new skills to gain an advantage over the competition.

Co-organiser Karen Flint, of New Direction Partnership, a company which helps businesses grow, said: “It’s going really well. It’s been a big success. Lots of people have been through the doors and it’s been busy all day.

“It helps small and medium-sized businesses make those vital connections. In Waltham Forest businesses are not connecting like they should be.

“They need to work together to make their own enterprise as good as it can be.”

Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation and co-founder of StartUp Britain is speaking on how to start and grow a successful business on a budget, while others are sharing expertise on how to get business through social network sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Mayor of Waltham Forest Richard Sweden is speaking this afternoon, followed by Barry Hearn, the owner of Leyton Orient FC.

See a video here: