LEWISTON — Food, fun and games blended with an abundance of valuable information at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée throughout the day Thursday. It all spelled success for 165 exhibitors at the 19th annual Androscoggin Business to Business Trade Show.

A steady flow of attendees checked out a diverse collection of business booths. Dina Jackson, marketing director, who was a principal organizer of the show with other staff members of the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council said about 2,500 members of the local business community turned out between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

“It was good attendance during the morning and it picked up steadily through the afternoon,” Jackson said. “We had an eclectic mix of exhibitors,” she said, noting that the booths included everything from small entrepreneurial businesses to numerous large financial, insurance, health care and educational institutions.

Several of the exhibitors emphasized innovation. Solapix was one such operation. Paul Ramsden showed how photos can be applied quickly to many surfaces. In most cases, that can be done for gift items including jewelry, as well as for custom photo-on-glass, metal wall prints, wall and desk acrylics and canvas wall prints.

Ramsden said a retail Solapix store will be opening at 940 Lisbon St., Lewiston, in a few days.

Littleton Precision is a firm operated by Guy and Michelle Shafer. They demonstrated how ScaleCam, which is equipment combining computer software and camera technology is filling a need in the medical field. Its principal use involves imaging a wound and recording precise measurements without compromising sterility requirements. The information becomes a digital part of the patient’s records.

One of the show’s examples of grassroots business development was presented by Matt Poulin, owner and CEO of Hot Off the Press, a company making custom-designed T-shirts. It was started a few months ago as a result of Poulin’s participation in the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce’s Young Entrepreneur Academy, a 33-week program for young people with business ideas. It features a final presentation before local investors based on the format of TV’s “Shark Tank” show.

For numerous businesses, the trade show offered an opportunity to showcase decades of service.

Sam’s Italian Foods, a Lewiston restaurant and catering service since 1939, offered pizza, whoopie pies and other samples to attendees.

St. Peter’s Cemetery in Lewiston, established in 1878, showed artist renderings of its soon-to-be-completed mausoleums.

Bob Waterman, owner of Waterman Farm Equipment of Sabattus, said the family business began in 1956. He said he has been showing his equipment at the trade shows for the past 16 or 17 years, and he guessed he may be the longest year-after-year exhibitor.

The event offered plenty of information about all kinds of civic organizations and municipal activities. Both Auburn and Lewiston city governments had booths. There were booths sponsored by the YMCA in Auburn, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine, The Public Theatre, Community Little Theatre and Museum L-A.

It was a good day to meet company executives, local officials and, if your timing was right, royalty. In majestic regalia of the 13th century, Michael Miclon, producer, director and lead actor for his new comedy film strolled the event’s aisles. In the role of King Richard III, Miclon was greeting people at the Emerge Film Festival booth, promoting the premiere of his comedy film.

Asked what kind of business he might promote at a B2B in his time in ancient England, “King Richard” quipped, “I think I could do royal proclamations and knighthoods for a fee. And I can always be bribed.”

Jackson said this year’s LAEGC trade show drew 33 exhibitors from outside Androscoggin County, and one from outside the state.

The day concluded with the Chamber’s Business After Hours in the Colisée’s concourse and food court. Participating restaurants were Labadie’s Bakery, a family business since the 1920s, the Garden Grille and Bar of the Hilton Garden Inn Auburn Riverwatch; Buffalo Wild Wings; and Pinky D’s food truck

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