Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase: Turning business ideas into actions

What:
Columbia Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase

Where:
Holiday Inn Executive Center, 2200 I-70 Dr. SW

When:
Tuesday, March 13
7:15–9 a.m.— Chamber Quarterly Breakfast/presentation by Woodcrest
9–11:30 a.m.— Showcase open to public
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.— Showcase closes to public; luncheon and guest speaker
1–4 p.m.— Showcase reopens to public
4–5 p.m.— Cocktail mixer presented by Columbia Business Times

Tickets:
To register for breakfast ($19 or $16 online) or lunch ($25), call the Chamber of Commerce, 817-9113, or visit columbiamo chamber.com.  Tickets for the showcase cost $5 and also will also be available at the door the day of the event. Call the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, 573-817-9113 or Holiday Inn Expo Center, 573-874-1132

Making the right connections in the working world can be a job in itself. But this month, the task of business networking will be a little easier.

On March 13, the public is invite to attend the Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase — the chamber’s largest fundraiser of the year. More than 130 Columbia-area businesses will set up booths at the Holiday Inn Expo Center for the all-day tradeshow geared toward socializing, promoting services and products and having fun.

Marissa Todd, development director for the Alzheimer’s Association and Rusty Strodtman, manager of Columbia Mall, are the main organizers for this year’s event. “It’s a big networking day and a chance to get to know chamber members and businesses,” Todd says. “If you’re looking for a job or a way to make business connections, there are always a lot of businesses and a lot of people. It’s a great opportunity.”

Strodtman says that the Business Showcase is a place where ideas get put into action. Businesses are encouraged to make sales and form partnerships for future transactions. “Many times the business owners, executives and CEOs are in the booths working, which means it’s a day when decisions can be made,” he says.

The day begins with the Chamber’s quarterly membership breakfast, featuring a guest presentation from Woodcrest. Doors will open to the public at 9 a.m. Networking activities will close during the middle of the day for a luncheon and special presentation by nationally recognized guest speaker Dr. Judith Briles, who will discuss “eliminating red ink behaviors in the workplace.”

The show will open again after lunch until 4 p.m. for a cocktail mixer sponsored by The Columbia Business Times. The event is free to chamber members and for those who register for breakfast or lunch. For others, the cost is $5.

The return that attendees will receive for that $5 admission price is well worth it, Todd says. In addition to new business contacts, there are lots of giveaways and door prizes, which in years past have included a Nintendo Wii home video game system.

“It’s a fun day and a good way to learn about all of Columbia’s smaller businesses,” Todd says. “And it’s a good way for them to market their services and build their business base. Remember to bring lots of business cards.”

To learn more about the guest speaker, visit briles.com. For more on the Business Showcase, visit the chamber website at columbiamochamber.com.