September greetings everyone!
I have always loved the month of September.
Growing up in Upstate New York, September signaled the end of summer (quite literally). There was a crispness in the air in the morning. The trees would start turning their magnificent array of colors and the sounds and smells in the air were quite different than the months prior.
Obviously, living in Houston, Texas, September is more like an extension of August, with the exception of the anticipation of the fall home & garden shows, craft shows, and (of course) business conferences and expos.
Several noteworthy conferences for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in September and October are the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council’s Business Expo 2014 ( www.hmsdc.org), September 24th & 25th, the Transportation Diversity Council’s 1st Annual Southwest Transportation & Infrastructure Summit ( www.tdc-ntl.org ), October 10, 2014, and the Houston Small Business Expo (www.HoustonSmallBusinessExpo.com), October 11th. Small Business Today Magazine is indeed proud to be a media sponsor of all three of these events.
Whether you are an attendee or exhibitor at one of these or other business conferences this year, I don’t have to tell you that these conference and expos are huge investments for everyone (often requiring travel/lodging expenses, man hours, exhibit costs, promotional costs, etc., not to mention the price of attending the conference. They can be a huge waste of time and money or be a major catalyst to growing your business; it just depends on what your purpose of being there is and your goals for the conference. I am a veteran of hundreds of these both as an exhibitor and as an attendee.
Here is a list of some things that will make your attendance more profitable:
- Set your goal as to what you would ideally like to accomplish.
- Your pre-conference preparation will play a major role in your ability to reach those goals that you want to achieve while you are there.
- Connect through social media with those individuals who you are counting on meeting there. Possibly arrange a pre- or post- meeting appointment.
- Take the time to visit with all the exhibitors. Each are experts in their phase of your business and may have the answers to your immediate needs and/or be an excellent source of referrals.
- “Be on a mission” while you are there. Take advantage of every opportunity to connect with everyone. You never know who may be in a position to aid your businesses growth into the coming year!
- For exhibitors, engage as many attendees in conversation as possible. Look and act like you are there to do business.
Conferences and expos can be an amazing source of business if you are committed to making them so!
If you are attending HMSDC’s Business Expo 2014, please come by our booths 525 and 624 and drop your business card in the bowl for a chance to win a $2,200 multi-media package. We’d love to chat with you and you might also get to meet this month’s Cover Honoree, Martha Ceballos with ELP Enterprises Inc. Martha is one of the recipients of HMSDC’s “Emerging 10” awards and is on this month’s cover with that award.
It is time to let you get started on this very special issue.
Good Reading, Good Sales, and Great Success to You,
Steve Levine
President & Executive Publisher
