2010 Northeast Arkansas Business, Education & Creative Economy Conference

Conference for Small Businesses in Northeast Arkansas to “Sharpen Their competitive Edge!”

The old saying that the only thing CONSTANT in life is CHANGE is certainly true for small businesses.  For small entrepreneurial businesses to survive and even thrive in today’s economy they must constantly be watching for new ideas, finding new markets, leveraging strategic partnerships with others, and expanding their own horizons.  On October 14th and 15th, small businesses throughout Northeast Arkansas will have an opportunity to “Sharpen Their Competitive” Edge for the New Decade.

Business owners and Entrepreneurs across Northeast Arkansas will have a unique opportunity Thursday, October 14th and Friday, October 15th to attend a FREE conference at Arkansas Northeast College in Blytheville. This two-day event is funded by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development is one that no small business owner should pass up.  Developed in part by the Arkansas Human Development Corporation with assistance from Arkansas Northeast College this conference has something for everyone.

Day 1 Thursday, October 14th Spotlights “The Art of Creativity” leading participants through a variety of discussions in professional entertainment and Creative Economy Strategies to help businesses take advantage of the tourism and hospitality opportunities available through the Delta and will include experts in the field of Entertainment and Developing Creative Economies for their regions.  Beginning at 12 noon on the 14th the afternoon will be broken into 3 Sessions:

• 12 noon-2:30 pm The Arkansas High School Creativity Networking Event – encouraging entrepreneurship in our High Schools
• 3:30 – 6:00 pm College and General Market Creative Economy Networking for local businesses to learn more about how they can leverage Creative Economy Opportunities
• 6-7:30 pm  Reception/Networking at the Creative Economy Expo

The Delta is RICH in heritage, music, food and fun…opportunities abound to bring visitors who will show at your businesses, eat at your restaurants and add money to the community but it takes Creative Thinking AND Partnership.  Add your voice to the discussion!

 On Friday, October 15th small business owners and entrepreneurs will have a full day of conferences to “Sharpen their Competitive Edge”.  The day will begin with a FREE Breakfast with the Lenders event where attendees will be able to eat and meet with a wide variety of commercial lenders, government and economic development lenders and others to learn how to access capital for their start-up or expanding businesses.

Other topics for the day will include:

•  Understanding Arkansas’s Business Climate – Where we have been and where we are headed
• Building strategic partnerships with local, state and federal agencies to leverage business opportunities
• New Marketing Opportunities to find customers and boost Sales
• Unlocking the power of government procurement
• Lessons learned by local small business owners
• Networking opportunities throughout the day.

This two-day event is a must attend for any small business owner or entrepreneur who wants to grow in the coming years.  I encourage everyone to plan to attend this free and informative conference. 

The event is free and open to the public but registration is required to ensure sufficient material, meals and refreshments so…for more information or to register call the Arkansas State University Small Business and Technology Development Center at (870) 972-3517 or e-mail us at asusbtdc@astate.edu or go on-line to register at http://asbtdc.ualr.edu/rural Don’t let this opportunity slip by!

If you know a small business in Northeast Arkansas do them a favor and share this article with them…their business will thank you for it!  I hope to see all our readers there.

Tagged as: Creative Economy, entrepreneurship, Northeast Arkansas Small Businesses, rural tourism, small businesses in Arkansas