Being in the smallest state has its advantages when you run a business looking for nearby suppliers, partners, customers or exposure, not the least of which is the largest business expo in the nation.
This year marks the 18th in which the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce will bring companies from all corners of the business community to meet and greet, to learn from each other and to bring people face to face with the company names they may normally only see on their computer screen.
The 2008 Business EXPO on May 6 and 7 will feature approximately 350 businesses showcasing their newest products and services, exposing what competitive edge their company offers. It allows new companies to introduce themselves and veteran companies to maintain and make new contacts.
Veterans of the expo will notice a few changes this year in response to feedback received from past patrons. Rather than having speakers, such as media and news celebrities, who talk about social topics, the Chamber is switching gears and focusing on business-related topics to provide patrons with information they can walk away with and apply directly to their business practices.
This year’s theme, “Knowledge, Power, Opportunity,” is focused on topics mentioned frequently in the feedback the Greater Providence Chamber received from businesspeople who wanted more opportunities to build their knowledge base, said Laurie White, the Chamber’s president.
In order to address this need, the Greater Providence Chamber is bringing in local and national “key thought leaders” to speak at different seminars at the expo, which is free to any member of the business community with a business card, White said.
The new president of the Rhode Island School of Design, John Maeda, will be helping to steer the expo in a new direction by speaking about the future of technology, how less is more, and how you can drive business results with the use of simplicity. He will talk about how to streamline business, products and design all around the notion of simplicity.
Jack Templin, co-founder of the Providence Geeks, a role for which he was named an Innovation Champion in last year’s PBN-R.I. Economic Development Corporation Rhode Island Innovation Awards (READ MORE) will be speaking and helping to focus the expo on technology. The Chamber is hoping to tap into new audiences and draw in a new crowd of technology-savvy people.
Those who attend the “Breaking the Rules” seminar will hear Ian and Shep Murray, founders of Vineyard Vines, talk about how they took their business from their basement and turned it into a multimillion-dollar lifestyles company.
White says attending the expo is especially important this year, with many businesses struggling in a stagnant economy. Staying visible will have these businesses be prepared when recessionary fears thaw, said White.
For Peter Evangelista, president of World Trophies, the expo provides critical exposure. His company, which manufactures all kinds of awards and trophies, has held a booth at the expo in the same location for more than 12 years. People seek them out or just drop by to say hello, he said.
“We don’t want to be just a business, we want to put a personality with our business and meet our customers face to face,” he said.
The Chamber’s expo began as a small trade show to bring the business community together under one roof. It began as a modest undertaking at the former Providence Civic Center, now the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, and grew annually.
Once it outgrew the civic center, it moved to Providence College’s athletic center, where the expo remained for about eight or nine years. After the expo grew to 150 exhibitors, it was moved to its current home at the R.I. Convention Center. The expo now attracts exhibitors from across the state and southern New England. •
