The Folkestone Triennial in 2008

by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Businesses are being invited to find out how they can make the most of next year's arts festival in Folkestone.

Folkestone Triennial is being held between June 25 and September 25 and organisers promise a boost to local enterprises.

The Creative Foundation has invited businesses in tourism, including hotels, retailers, restaurants and taxi drivers, from Folkestone and the surrounding area to "join them to find out more about opportunities it presents for local businesses to benefit from the visiting audiences."

A meeting will spell out those opportunities on Wednesday October 20. It is being held at Quarterhouse, 45 Tontine Street, from 6pm to 7.30pm. Admission is free but advanced booking is essential as spaces are limited.

Meanwhile, Andrea Schlieker, who ran the 2008 event, said the theme behind the next exhibition will be "A Million Miles from Home."

"We hope [it] will build on and extend the success of the first Triennial. The theme will take visitors on a very different journey this time, exploring Folkestone's relationship with the wider world by recognising the town's geographic position close to continental Europe, and its location on the edge of Britain. A Million Miles from Home will articulate the sense of being between worlds, of displacement and separation, of transience and orientation. It alludes to a sense of unease as well as wonder."