BusinessWest Introduces the Western Mass. Business Expo

Kate Campiti says there is so much that is new, different, and compelling about the area’s annual spring trade show that a new name was a necessity.
And so, the event that was known as Market for the past 20 years will become the Western Mass. Business Expo, said Campiti, associate publisher and advertising director of BusinessWest, which will produce this giant show, slated for May 4 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. “And that’s a name that was chosen carefully, because it really says what this is.”
First and foremost, she explained, this is a regional event, encompassing all four counties west of Worcester, requiring ‘Western Mass,’ and all area chambers of commerce. What’s more, the phrase ‘trade show’ is somewhat old and tired, said Campiti, adding that ‘Business Expo’ properly conveys that this event is about businesses — and doing business in this region.
But enough about the name. Let’s focus on what’s new and different.
Campiti and Sally Rider, a principal with North Granby, Conn.-based Rider Productions, LLC, who are choreographing the expo, said it is being staged in a manner essentially dictated by the business owners and managers in this region, who, said Rider, want and need a show that can help them put their best foot forward.
In a nutshell, everything about the expo is being developed with the goal of maximizing both the exposure and business opportunities of exhibitors and event sponsors, said Rider, whose company handles a number of business shows, including the revamped and revitalized Connecticut Business Expo, held at the Hartford Convention Center.
Elaborating, she said that all facets of the show, including breakfast, lunch, the seminars, and post-event networking, will be staged on the show floor or in the adjacent arena, heightening the visibility of participants and increasing the level of opportunity for valuable connections to be made between companies and customers — and potential customers.
“We’re revamping past shows that have taken place in the same venue, so that everything takes place right on the show floor,” said Rider, who has had more than 20 years of experience with business expos as a producer, participant, and sponsor with the former Fleet Bank. “People won’t ever have to leave that expo floor; everything will be concentric around our exhibitors and our sponsors.”
Campiti said that, following last year’s Market show, she initiated discussions with officials at the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield (ACCGS) about BusinessWest’s desire to become a prominent player, or partner, in the annual spring show.
“As the business publication for the region, it seemed like a natural fit for us,” she explained, adding that, over the past several years, BusinessWest has complemented its twice-monthly publications with events designed to shine more spotlights on the region’s business community and the individuals and groups that help define it.
These programs include Difference Makers, which salutes individuals and organizations for their contributions to quality of life in Western Mass., and 40 Under Forty, started in 2007, which recognizes rising stars in the region. The 2011 editions of these events are slated for March 24 and June 23, respectively.
Meanwhile, last fall, BusinessWest partnered with the Holyoke and Chicopee Chambers of Commerce to produce the highly successful Mine Your Business program, which brought business owners and decision makers together for two-on-two, face-to-face sessions with counterparts from more than 20 other companies.
“With our experience in staging events, as well as a need to revamp and revitalize the spring show, BusinessWest decided to partner with the ACCGS for the 2011 event,” Campiti explained, adding that the trade show remains a relevant, successful tool in business marketing.
“Social media and electronic media are a part of doing business,” she said, “but people still need to interact, and business is still done on a face-to-face basis. The trade show — and especially the format being developed for the Western Mass. Business Expo — allows for that interaction; it’s a place where businesses can spotlight their services while making connections with other vendors and visitors.”
Rider concurred. “Businesses strive to learn more, work smarter, see what the competition is doing, listen to their clients, and develop strategies and initiatives to move their businesses forward,” she said. “All of this can happen in a one-day expo where the latest and greatest are all brought together.”
Campiti and Rider said organizers of the Western Mass. show will work to create the high energy levels that characterize the shows in other large, metropolitan areas, including Hartford, New York, and Boston.
“We want a lot of action, a lot of excitement,” said Campiti. “There’s going to a buzz in the room, and it will be there from the minute the show opens to the closing bell — and then it will continue into the early evening with a high-energy networking event featuring music, food, and drink.”
Campiti said the revamped trade show coincides with a recognized improvement in the economy, as well as general optimism moving forward. This synergy is expected to create an environment conducive to companies generating new business.
“For the past few years, it seems that many businesses have been hunkering down — they’ve been in survival mode,” said Campiti. “Business owners remain cautious, but many are ready to move beyond survival and aggressively market their companies and take advantage of renewed confidence.”
To assist with the development of the expo, a steering committee, comprised of more than 25 members of the business, economic-development, and chamber communities, has been convened, said Rider, adding that the input of these individuals will be critical to the success of the event.
“This steering committee will cover all facets of the business community in Western Mass.,” she explained, “and they all have the innate desire to grow business. This committee is reaching economic-development, government, all different facets of Western Mass., and all trying to drive business in the region — and it’s truly a regional show.”
Many of the specific aspects of the Western Mass. Business Expo, such as the breakfast and lunch programs, as well the seminars, will come together over the next several weeks, said Campiti, adding that information will be posted on the ACCGS (www.accgs.com) and BusinessWest (www.businesswest.com) Web sites as it becomes available. A Web site exclusively for the event will soon go live as well.

Fast Facts:

What: The Western Mass. Business Expo
When: May 4
Where: The MassMutual Center, Springfield
Cost: 10-by-10 booth: $700 for members of all area chambers, and $750 for non-members; 10-by-10 corner booth: $750 for members of all area chambers, and $800 for non-members; 10-by-20 double booth: $1,200 for members of all area chambers, and $1,250 for non-members.
For More Information: Visit www.businesswest.com
or www.accgs.com, or call
(413) 781-8600, ext. 10.