Business Expo and Challenge Planned for Washington County, VA
Abingdon, VA (PRWEB) January 29, 2014 -- Washington County, Washington County Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, People Incorporated, Virginia Highlands Small Business Incubator, and other business support organizations are partnering to host the first annual Business Expo and Challenge event in early 2014.
The first phase of the program will be an ambitious business plan competition designed to attract entrepreneurs with new technology, value added agriculture, outdoor recreation and retail/support services projects to locate their start up within Washington County. Three awards will be given to the first, second and third place winners with prizes totaling more than $10,000 in grants and incentives. To be considered for the award, participants must attend all business training classes to be held weekly over a six week period and complete a business plan that will be presented before a panel of judges. Classes will begin on March 6, 2014 and will be held beginning at 6:00 pm weekly through April 10, 2014.
The second part of the program will be a Business Expo to be held April 24, 2014 at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. This one day event will provide Washington County businesses of all types with an opportunity to develop leads for selling products and services locally, gain business exposure, build relationships and exchange ideas with other exhibitors, seek potential alliances and referral sources for sells growth. The first, second and third place winners of the business challenge will be provided with booth space to help jumpstart the promotion of their new business at the Expo.
To apply for the Business Challenge or to register for an exhibit booth at the Expo, please contact the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, or visit http://www.washingtonvachamber.org/challenge. Applications for the Challenge will be accepted through 5:00 pm on February 18, 2014. Space will be limited at the Expo and will be on a first come first serve basis. There will be a charge of $25 per exhibit space.
Information and updates can also be found and shared on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BusinessExpoandChallenge.
Tenille Montgomery, Abingdon Convention and Visitor's Bureau, http://www.abingdon.com, 1-800-435-3440, [email protected]
Share this article