Hundreds of business figures gathered for the first major business event of the year on Friday.

The Kent Business Summit returned for its second annual outing at the University of Kent with a number of keynote speakers, round table discussions and networking opportunities.

Organised by the university's Kent Business School (KBS), in partnership with the Institute of Directors (IOD), the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and Locate in Kent (LiK), a packed auditorium heard updates from a range of experts.

Visit Kent CEO Deirdre Wells and her counterpart at Locate in Kent, Gavin Cleary, joined forces to hammer home the message of the attractions of living, working and visiting the county, while Helen Walbey, FSB policy chair for home affairs, discussed the issues facing small business in the year ahead - 12 months set to be dominated by Brexit.

Other speakers included Mark Valleley, technical manager for Transport for the South East who focused on how to deliver an integrated transport system for the county.

MPs who had been scheduled to appear had been hauled back to Westminster ahead of Tuesday's withdrawal agreement vote and were unable to attend.