DREAMS of launching your own venture could become a reality in York next week.

The Enterprise Show comes to the Museum Gardens this weekend, when organisers hope to attract more than the record 724 would-be entrepreneurs who converged on a giant marquee at the site last year.

Within six months of last year's show, 125 of those who attended were inspired enough to start their own enterprises.

The event, organised by Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, and Business Link, will have on show a vast number of ways that people can make their slogan, "Don't Just Dream It, Do It", come true.

Among those there to give free advice and support are experts from the likes of the Chartered Institute of Accountants, high street banks, the Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise, the Yorkshire Association of Business Angels, the Prince's Trust and Women in Rural Enterprise.

There will be five zones, graduating steps to the birth of a successful company. They are:

Dreaming It, which identifies the strength of your business idea and allows you to talk to those who have been there and done it

Planning To Succeed, in which advice is offered on developing business plans and aspects of getting started

The Information Gateway, where experts guide would be start-ups towards the information they need (online on the day)

Running Your Business, which shows the help and support available once a venture is up and running

Doing It - in which 15 minutes of free advice is offered to get the "dreamers" to plan the route to reality.

The event is the first of four planned throughout the region, the others being Sheffield the following weekend, Hull on June 11 and 12 and Leeds Millennium Square on June 18 and 19.

Anyone who wants to register their attendance in advance to speed up the advice process should phone 0800 0322626 or log on to www.theenterpriseshows.com

Updated: 11:33 Monday, May 09, 2005