Business Expo ‘95 Draws 3,000 To Spokane Convention Center
About 3,000 area business leaders converged Wednesday at Business to Business Expo ‘95, which featured more than 150 exhibitors ranging from Spokanebased Lilac City Decorators to international deliverer United Parcel Service.
The eighth-annual show gave local businesses and national distributors with sites in Spokane the opportunity to meet and network with potential customers at the Spokane Convention Center.
“The main goal is to get business people to do business with other business people locally and keep dollars in Spokane,” said Aimee Bittick of the Spokane Area Economic Development Council, cosponsor of the event.
This year, participants chose from 15 seminars on topics such as starting a small business, using computer networks to increase cost efficiency, developing a marketing plan, entering the international market and creating diversity in the workplace.
The annual event has become popular among small-business owners who use it to learn about business trends and strategies.
For example, Wendy Zupan of Write Angels advised about 30 business owners on how to expand their marketing departments - often a challenge for small firms with limited capital.
She recommended that all businesses interested in expanding their marketing potential should:
Post a monthly, quarterly or yearly calendar that includes advertising campaigns, trade fairs and newsletter mailing dates.
Create a customer database by offering incentives - such as discount coupons or gifts - to those customers willing to fill out and return surveys.
Consider non-traditional forms of marketing, such as the World Wide Web, to advertise products. Also consider bypassing electronic or billboard media altogether, reaching consumers directly through schools, meetings and events.
“Let the customer teach you about the customer’s needs. The more the customer teaches you, the more the customer will not be able to find specialized products and services from anyone else,” Zupan said.
Other major sponsors of the business expo include local chambers of commerce, Fairchild Air Force Base and Momentum.