The Hobart Chamber of Commerce set up shop at Avalon Manor on Thursday. The Chamber was holding the annual “Expo Express” Business Expo. It was every business owners dream: great networking opportunities, food, fun, and it benefited a good cause.
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The day started out with lunch. A guest speaker representing the Northwest Indiana Forum, Raenn Trakas, spoke to all in attendance. The NWI Forum represents the business community and promotes economic development in the region. Following the luncheon was a bout of speed networking.
“We invited businesses to come connect with other businesses and the public as well,” Lisa Winstead, Executive Director for the Hobart Chamber said. “The speed networking was a lot of fun because you got to move around to different tables and the businesses got to network with each other before the public came in later.”
The Expo has been going on for over 20 years and it has gone through some transformations as time passed. An after-hours turned into a luncheon so people could get home at a decent hour afterward, and speed networking was added for the aforementioned reason. Everyone in attendance has enjoyed the event each year and is happy with the growing number of participant and attendants.
“The community gets to see what businesses are about there. And it’s not just businesses; we have city booths here with our police and fire departments and our city special events. So it’s just a good way for the community to find out what businesses and organizations are around and what they can do for our citizens.”
Vendor booths lined the perimeter of the large ballroom in the Avalon Manor and there were even more that stood in the middle. People made their way from booth to booth, seeing familiar faces or making a new discovery about a company that they may not have otherwise known about.
There were all types of organizations at the ready like senior living facilities, the Hobart High School, real estate agencies, insurance agencies, nonprofits, banks, and more. They were all there representing the City of Hobart, helping it to grow and prosper.
“St. Mary’s is a huge supporter of the community as well as the businesses within it,” Sarah Baysinger, Clinical Liaison for St. Mary Medical Center said. “We have many locations in Lake County and we are part of many area Chambers, but we have our main location in Hobart so of course we are going to be part of the city that is part of us.”
Sherry Sink of Superior Ambulance is the Chair Person of the Hobart Chamber “Expo Express” Business Expo and she had Superiors’ booth set up among the throng. “We do a lot of events but this one seems to get the best turnout,” Sink said. “You find what clicks because each community is different and you have to go with what makes the community happy. We’ve been doing the Expo for a lot of years and people love it.”
Don’t miss the next event coming up from the Hobart Chamber which is the "Casual Conversation" Networking Breakfast on Wednesday, April 22nd at the Hobart Chamber. Click here for more information!