On Oct. 4, roughly 125 vendors will be working to connect with hundreds of expected attendees at the 21st Springfield Business 2 Business Expo, presented by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
The daylong show, held at the downtown Springfield Expo Center, 635 E. St. Louis St., drew roughly 1,000 attendees, said Kristin Lochner, the chamber’s manager of special events.
She’s expecting attendance to climb this year as several vendors have requested more free tickets to distribute prior to the show. Tickets will cost $10 at the door, she said.
Client connectionsSpringfield Paper Co., a 106-year-old business that historically has focused on janitorial and paper goods, will be a first-time vendor at the Business Expo.
General Manager Kevin Smith said the company, which only recently joined the chamber, has added several new lines to diversify its product offerings, and that’s why it is participating in the show.
“We’re just trying to get our name back out there, get people reacquainted with us,” Smith said. “We’ve got everything from health care products to paper to meat processing supplies to floor equipment and machinery, chemicals, and of course, the janitorial and sanitation things.”
According to
SpringfieldChamber.com/Expo, standard booth prices start at $450, if purchased by Aug. 10; after that, the base price jumps to $525. Springfield Paper Co. has secured three booth spots to ensure enough room for four vendors – Healthy Brands for Life, National Chemical Laboratories, Tornado Industries and von Drehle Corp., to showcase their wares distributed by Springfield Paper Co.
“Tornado’s going to be showing floor polishers and vacuums, things like that. NCL will be showcasing its earth-friendly green products for cleaning, and chemicals for polishing and waxing floors,” Smith said.
He noted the Healthy Brands for Life, started by local Mercy physician Dr. Roger Huckfeldt, will highlight its Hands First Hand Sanitizer as well as its VetraCare pet care line.
“Von Drehle is going to have a display that’s going to show all of its dispensers – hand towel dispensers, toilet tissue dispensers – and samples of the paper, also,” he added.
Smith said about half of his 15 full-time employees will spend Oct. 6 at the Business Expo, but he thinks the time investment will be worth it to spread the word about the company’s broadened product base and its new website,
SpringfieldPaper.com.
“We’re hoping to get people in there who are already customers, so they can see other things we have. But we also invite new potential customers to come and get an idea of who we are and what we have,” Smith said.
Another new vendor is Chicago-based U.S. Cellular.
“I’m pleased to confirm that U.S. Cellular will be entering the Springfield market with the goal of opening our first Springfield location at 3825 S. Glenstone Ave., in mid- to late November,” said Nathan Waddell, U.S. Cellular’s director of sales for Missouri, in an emailed statement. “We will also participate in the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business 2 Business Expo. … This is a great opportunity to meet local business owners and get to know the Springfield community.”
A little friendly competitionNew to the lineup this year is a Best of Show booth competition in which attendees will vote to for their Top 3 booths, Lochner said, judging them based on visual appearance, marketing message and staff knowledge and service.
Lochner said the booth contest was created in response to frequent questions each year about a theme.
“We don’t really have a theme, but we know a lot of the vendors do put a lot of time into designing their booths, so it’s just a way to promote and recognize the vendors who have the really good booths,” Lochner said.
According to the Expo webpage, the first place winner will receive a complimentary booth – a $450 value – at the 2013 Expo. The second place winner receives a free highlight package – a $200 value – for its online chamber directory listing, and the third-place prize is an annual pass worth $150 for Good Morning, Springfield!, a monthly networking breakfast.
The Tour de Expo, an element added to the Business Expo in 2010, gives attendees a shot at winning one of three cash prizes.
The tour features vendors who pay an additional $150. Each attendee receives a card when they arrive, featuring the logos of the participating Tour de Expo vendors – there are eight this year, Lochner said – and if they get stamps from all tour participants, they are entered in the drawing for two $50 prizes and one $100 prize.
Several chamber-related activities will coincide with the Business Expo this year, Lochner said. The Oct. 6 installment of Good Morning, Springfield! will be held the morning of the show at the Expo Center, so attendees will be able to leave that event and head to the show. The October 60-Minutes to Success Luncheon, presented by the chamber’s 2012 Small Business Council will be held at 11:45 a.m. Oct. 4 at the Expo, Lochner said, though she noted online preregistration is required.
The show will wind down with a happy hour 4–6 p.m., featuring music by William Fortney, front man of local band The Euphio Question.
Lochner noted, however, that the Business Expo isn’t geared just toward chamber members.
“It’s [for] any businessperson in the Springfield area who wants to get out and make contacts with local businesses and vendors,” she said.
