• Swindon & Wiltshire Events
• Wednesday September 9 2026

Wiltshire entrepreneurs get chance to pitch to a real Dragon

Wiltshire entrepreneurs are being given the chance to pitch their idea to a real Dragon.

Moonpig founder and Wiltshire resident Nick Jenkins, who was a Dragon for two series of the BBC show between 2015 and 2017 will be one of the guests at the inaugural West Wiltshire Business Expo, which will be held at The Civic in Trowbridge on Thursday, October 8.

Nick, who lives in the county and two years ago opened the county’s first infinity ski slope, will host the pitching event – with cash to be won.

Elsewhere at the event, Andrew Murrison, the Conservative MP for South West Wiltshire, Brian Mathew the Liberal Democrat MP for Melksham and Devizes, Ian Thorn, the Liberal Democrat leader of Wiltshire Council, and Helen Belcher, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for economic development, regeneration and assets will take part in a panel discussion on Investing in Wiltshire.

They will be joined by Ian Stone, CEO of Trowbridge-based food manufacturer Apetito, which is one of Wiltshire’s biggest private-sector employers with a turnover of £260 million and 670 staff in Trowbridge.

Around 40 businesses will be appearing in the exhibition area, while some of the county’s biggest businesses will be taking part -including Apetito, Danone Nutricia, Wiltshire Farm Foods, Good Energy and Wiltshire College & University Centre.

The agenda includes talks on AI, Sustainability, Marketing, Tech Adoption, Business Finance, Cyber Security, Accounting & Tax Essentials, Skills & Apprentices, HR and Wellbeing in the Workplace.

And the mayors of the five West Wiltshire towns – Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, Melksham, Warminster, and Westbury – will be talking about what makes their communities great.

The event, organised by Trowbridge Chamber CIC, one of the largest business groups in Wiltshire, in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses, is free to attend.

It runs from 8am, with a networking breakfast, to 6pm. Tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/west-wiltshire-business-expo-thursday-8th-october-tickets-1985962103111