The Small Business Expo is the nation’s largest business-to-business trade show, conference and networking event. Fortunately, it is held in fourteen of the biggest “small-business hubs” in the U.S. on different dates throughout the year. For small business owners, Small Business Expo, which was named to the 2015 Inc. 5000 List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies, is a chance to develop business leads and new customers, gain priceless industry insights, and network with peers in their specific industry, which is one of the top strategies for small business success. Furthermore, attendance is free and each Expo in each city is only one day, and includes workshops, exhibits and presentations.

More than 50,000 small business professionals and entrepreneurs across the U.S. converge on Small Business Expo every year with a mission of taking their small business to the next level. To help them achieve this goal, Small Business Expo features a plethora of professionals and industry luminaries who speak on topics such as business strategies and how to advance a business, whether it be for a start-up or veteran small business. Attendees are also educated on the unexpected challenges and hurdles of owning a small business and how to face and overcome them, as well as how to start a small business.

The Expo also gives businesses the opportunity to exhibit their products and/or services that are beneficial to small businesses. Furthermore, businesspeople can submit an application to speak if they have a business-critical workshop topic they want to share with other small business owners. Past Small Business Expo workshops have included Basic Networking: The Fundamentals of Building Your Network; The 5 Keys to Building Your Million Dollar Business; Mistakes Business Owners Make & How to Avoid Them; How to Create a Stellar Press Release & Gain Media Attention; A Winning Formula: 9 Ways to Grow Your Business; Mastering SEO; and How Can Partnering with Nonprofits Boost Your Business?

Upcoming Small Business Expos will take place in Seattle, August 11, 2016; San Diego, August 25, 2016; San Francisco, September 15, 2016; Phoenix, October 20, 2016; Los Angeles, November 10, 2016; Atlanta, December 8, 2016; Houston, February 2, 2017; Miami, March 2, 2017; Philadelphia, March 16, 2017; Boston, April 6, 2017; Chicago, April 20, 2017; Dallas, May 18, 2017; New York City, June 8, 2017; and Minneapolis, June 22, 2017.

Blog by Dale Myers. the NALA's Head Writer.