11 Dec Glendale Hilton Hosts Crowd at Valley Business Expo ‘14
Business owners and representatives – a crowd of prospects – came to this year’s Business Expo, held March 6 from 9-2. Attendees came to a new venue, the Glendale Hilton, to visit more than 80 exhibitors. The room was full throughout the day, as the crowd came and stayed. Morning refreshments, networking, and a series of great raffles kept everyone engaged. Galpin Ford provided a weekend rental of a Mustang convertible, Hong Kong Trade Development Council provided a beautiful wine and cheese basket and Sponsor Southwest Airlines gave away two free roundtrip tickets to anywhere it flies in the U.S.
Gold Sponsor Wells Fargo brought its Glendale business team, and counted more than 185 interactions before noon. Silver Sponsor Van Nuys Airport – one of the largest general aviation airports in the world – provided vital statistics and an overview of its economic impact, and promoted new relations with the airport at its exhibit. It was also represented by Diana Sanchez at the VEA Board of Governors meeting held in conjunction with the Expo. ‘Bag sponsor’ Hong Kong Trade Development Council laid out extensive product and business information at its table.
From printing services to roofing to credit unions, banks and accounting/payroll services, a full range of businesses seeking connections were there. All the Valley’s higher educational institutions were well-represented. In addition, business assistance organizations, Los Angeles City and County agencies, and even exhibitors with bases outside the Valley were present and interacting with attendees. The LA Kings organization was also there, with cheerleaders, offering a drawing for game tickets.
Wells Fargo Glendale/Burbank District Manager Zorik Yegiaian said his team was excited to be at the event and reaching out. “Our vision at Wells Fargo is to support our local community, and in every community we focus on serving one customer at a time, literally. We take care of their financial needs by making them our number one priority. Here my team from Glendale is supporting the Expo, but it’s not just about Glendale. Wells Fargo has been involved, throughout its history, in any community we serve.”
CSUN was promoting its wide range of educational options for businesses. Tseng College Graduate, International and Midcareer Education Lead Julie Potter said, “VEA has been a great partner for CSUN. We are very committed to connecting with business and industry, opening the pathway to the university as a rich resource for R&D. For mid-size businesses, we can provide customized workforce education, from non-credit classes all the way to full customized degree programs. We have a lot of resources available, we are a regional university and committed to our service area, and we are here to get the message out to businesses!”
Jave Tripp of print and design firm JNK Services, Inc., said “This is the third year I’ve been doing this event. The venue this year is a great plus – it’s got new blood, new people, more people walking by, and the quality of prospects are better. This year I’ve had the opportunity to get some leads.”
Betty Young, Hong Kong Trade and Development Council representative, said this was also her third year exhibiting at the VEA Expo. “We were the bag sponsor last year also. While the Council’s office is in downtown Los Angeles, we cover all of Southern California including the Valley. We want to bring awareness of the Hong Kong platform to this community.”
A great day for B2B connections and re-connections, and everyone left with new reusable bags, offered by several exhibitors, filled with literature, business cards, samples and notes. See you next year!