The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Seattle District Office – together with local partners – will participate in the 22nd annual Washington Small Business Fair, or “Biz Fair,” Saturday, Sept. 29 from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at Renton Technical College, 3000 NE 4th St.<\/p>\n
After 21 years with attendance averaging between 200 and 500 visitors each year, Biz Fair is the longest-running free small business event in Washington run completely by local government and volunteers.<\/p>\n
Biz Fair consists of two parts – a resource center and business seminars. All levels of government agencies, trade organizations and nonprofits that support small business come together to exhibit their services at the resource center. In addition to the resource center, more than 20 90-minute business seminars are offered throughout the day on business topics ranging from business planning to crowdfunding.<\/p>\n
“It’s no longer enough for a small business owner to excel in providing their product or service – today’s small businesses must keep up with changing regulations, new marketing techniques and a fast-paced global marketplace,” SBA Seattle District Director Kerrie Hurd said. “The Biz Fair Planning Committee does a great job of bringing together all the resources and technical content that today’s business owners need on one day in one place.”<\/p>\n
New to Biz Fair this year is a keynote speech by Co-CEO of Mud Bay Lars Wulff, who will be discussing his “Blue Ocean Strategy.” Also new are seminars on starting a successful food truck business, 3-D printing for small business and managing your online reputation.<\/p>\n
The Washington Small Business Fair began in 1997 as a collaborative effort of local, state, and federal government agencies and local trade organizations to establish a free one-day one-place event for aspiring and current small businesses to gain access to the knowledge and resources they need to start, grow and thrive.<\/p>\n
After a successful first Biz Fair in 1997 and continued demand from the small business community, the agencies, including the SBA Seattle District Office, formed the Biz Fair Planning Committee with the aim to host the free event every year.<\/p>\n