The countdown has begun for the inaugural Waikato Business Expo to be held at Claudelands on September 11.
The one-day event, hosted by the Waikato Chamber of Commerce and organised by Jigsaw Solutions Group, brings together a community of qualified business expertise to help Waikato businesses thrive.
Billed as the expo “where business gets done”, the event showcases leading edge and forward-thinking businesses, speakers and education. It is expected to draw interest from local, regional and national organisations with links to the Waikato.
Host Waikato Chamber of Commerce CEO Chris Simpson said early interest in exhibiting had reinforced the need for an event of this quality and scale for the region.
“The calibre of exhibitors that have already signed up is fantastic,” he said. “The expo fits well with our vision of providing our members and business community with valuable opportunities to engage their markets.”
With a population bigger than Wellington, Waikato’s economy grew by 7 percent in 2018 and the region is now host to a $30 billion dollar economy. Its proximity to Auckland’s $100 billion market makes it a growing hub for commerce.
Among exhibitors will be a wide-range of commerce providers including IT experts, virtual PAs, health and safety, finance, recruitment, digital marketing, education, catering, banking and personal and professional service providers. The expo is for all types of businesses whose target market is business-to-business (B2B). Additional expo experiences include B2B networking and workshops offering insights and tips on how to improve and generate growth.
Event director Sharon Giblett said: “The Business Expo is the ultimate leveraging opportunity, whether you want to grow your market share, look for business solutions, increase your knowledge of the marketplace or see what competitors are up to.”
“Today time is so valuable,” she said. “Exhibiting, sponsoring or attending an expo is an extremely effective and efficient way of using your time wisely. You can achieve more in one day than you could in weeks or months of your normal working schedule”.
Award-winning wellbeing specialist, author and entrepreneur Lauren Parsons has been engaged as keynote speaker for the event. Hot off the TEDx stage in New York State, Lauren is founder of the Snack on Exercise movement and will present her renowned keynote session “Overcoming the Overwhelming – How to thrive in a fast-paced world”.
The Expo opens at 7am to VIP invited guests and then to the wider business community from 9am to 4.30pm. Bookings for exhibitors are now open.
