Business & Tech Expo offers business-building opportunity

Sherrie Hagenhoff opened The Nutrition Accountant LLC in March. As a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator in private practice, Hagenhoff helps people who have health issues, such as diabetes or heart disease, that can be improved through nutrition. She also would like to have corporate clients, contracting with companies to provide programs for disease prevention and management.

The Nutrition Accountant will be among 240 vendors at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2006 Business & Technology Expo, where Hagenhoff hopes to meet individuals and companies that could benefit from her services.

“I’ve been negotiating with a few companies in town, but no contracts yet,” she said, noting that she hopes to build that side of her business through participating in the expo.

The daylong business networking event provides a forum for local businesses and professionals to interact with each other and with potential clients. The event will be held 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Springfield Exposition Center, 635 St. Louis St.

Chris Tuckness, vice president of community development and special events with the chamber, said that the expo typically draws about 6,000 visitors, which is appealing to businesses. This year, he said, participating companies come from the four-state area. Out-of-area vendors will include the Kansas City Chiefs, he said, whose representatives will have a booth where visitors can find out about ticket sales and other opportunities.

Tuckness attributes the expanded reach to the show’s growing popularity and the fact that business depends less these days on geographic boundaries.

“We all know that business is not just done where you live,” Tuckness said. “Where else are you going to reach 6,000 targeted businesspeople in one day? That’s a very specific market that you’re hitting.”

For businesses, expo participation involves more than setting up an attractive booth.

“Make sure you have a focus and a plan for the show, whether it’s promoting your general business, if you have a new product you’re trying to promote, if you’re going after a specific target market,” Tuckness said, noting that some companies use the expo as an opportunity to find job candidates.

Mark Steiner, owner of Steiner Talent Inc., a talent-booking agency for music headline acts uses live entertainment to attract potential customers for his business. Steiner Talent includes divisions Gig Salad – a venue through which he markets local and regional talent – and Steiner People – a speakers’ bureau for speakers, actors and models.

Steiner brought his business to Springfield in 2004, and was a first-time exhibitor at the expo in 2005.

“I think, for the most part, that people were kind of intrigued that this sort of business would be in Springfield, of all places,” Steiner said.

This year, he plans to have a Cher impersonator among other featured acts.

Steiner said that last year, he made some solid contacts with businesses who were interested in booking artists he represents for corporate functions, but he noted that he also was able to get performer leads.

“Everybody knows a performer,” Steiner said. “They either are one, or it was their dream ... or they have a daughter who would be the next ‘American Idol, or an uncle who has a big band. I probably had more performers come up to me than the corporate buyers. ... The expo just draws people.”

Dietitian Hagenhoff said she’s looking forward to meeting individuals and businesses she might be able to serve, but unlike many other vendors, she said she’s not planning to hand out candy. She will, however, have plenty of facts and figures on hand that will illustrate why someone might want to become a client.

“What we have found is, if you have diabetes and you work with a dietitian, those individuals have 9.5 percent less hospitalization, 23 percent less doctor visits,” she said. “If they have heart disease, it’s 10 percent less hospitalizations and (about) 16 percent less doctor visits.”

Event Details

What: The 2006 Business & Technology Expo

When: 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Oct. 5

Where: Springfield Exposition Center, 635 St. Louis St.

Tickets: Free from exhibitors or $7 at the

Expo Activities

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce has several expo-themed events scheduled for Oct. 5, in conjunction with the 2006 Business & Technology Expo, including Good Morning, Springfield!, Business-to-Business Connection, Business After Hours and a series of free seminars dealing with issues facing small-business owners. A full schedule of events is available at www.springfieldchamber.com.