Places are going fast at a free financial roadshow for East Midlands businesses looking to develop innovative ideas, with the first event in Derbyshire already fully booked.

Organised by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the Derbyshire Economic Partnership, with support from Connect Midlands, the first Access to finance Roadshow will take place on Friday 26 March at Dunston Innovation Centre, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

A further three events will take place between 9am and 1.30pm on 13 April at Phoenix Square, Leicester; 14 April at The Turbine Innovation Centre, Worksop and 21 April at NVision Technology Centre, University of Northampton.

The events, which are part of the East Midlands Innovation Festival (iFestival), will feature an interactive 'surgery' for small groups of delegates led by finance experts and business angels. Networking opportunities and the chance to talk to representatives from the region's financial support services will also help participants to take their ideas to the next level. 

"emda is committed to helping businesses of all sizes to identify and access the packages of financial support available so that they can innovate, survive and grow," explained emda's Head of Innovation, Martin French. "Many of the region's businesses have already benefited from this support, whether it's to develop an idea before launching it onto the market, or invest in early stage businesses with growth potential. 

"Together with our partners, provide a wide range of financial support services, offering advice, grants and loans. I would encourage people to book their place at one of the events to find out more about how this support could help make their innovative business ideas a reality."

Richard Horsley, Chairman of the Derbyshire Economic Partnership said, "This is a very important issue, particularly for smaller businesses and I'm delighted our Economic Partnership has been able to put its weight behind this initiative." 

People wanting to attend are encouraged to reserve their place as soon as possible as places are limited.

Places can be reserved at http://www.eminnovation.org.uk/ifestival <http://www.eminnovation.org.uk/ifestival> where further information on each of the remaining finance roadshows and the participating support services is also available.   

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and East Midlands Innovation (the region's innovation council), the iFestival celebrates the importance of innovation with a programme of over 150 events across the region between 12 March and 23 April.