A THRIVING Business Club is quick off the mark to win trade and investment opportunities for regional firms, generated by the Olympic Games.

The Club has forged a new link with Athens in a bid to open up these potentially lucrative links.

More than 6,000 members could benefit from the affiliation, which will allow them free entry to the Athens Business Club and to take advantage of the business "matchmaking" service offered by each organisation. This will help establish contact with potential customers, suppliers and complementary businesses.

The high profile link will also promote the benefits of membership of the Business Club to firms investing or trading in Athens as a result of this year's Olympics. Head of The Business Club, Matthew Morgan, said of the move: "We know from our experience of hosting the XVIIth Commonwealth Games in Manchester that an event like this year's Olympic Games in Athens creates a huge volume of additional trade opportunities with increased levels of investment, tourism and profile for the area.

"We're keen that north west businesses are in the best possible position to take advantage of these opportunities so we have created a direct link with the Athens Business Club 2004 to ensure that when overseas companies are looking for partners or suppliers, Business Club members are top of the list."

The Business Club, which is free to join and run by MIDAS (Manchester Investment and Development Agency Service) aims to put businesses in touch with each other, creating additional opportunities for local firms.

For further information about the Athens opportunities visit nwbusinessclub.com