San Antonio Small Business Expo

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Haitna’s team was glad to be a part of the San Antonio Small Business Expo 2021. The awe-inspiring event attracted thousands of businesses and entrepreneurs alike.
Though we couldn’t relish exotic event venues and face-to-face interactions, the organizers made meticulous virtual arrangements.
The event was complemented by some of the best business experts and keynote speakers. Moreover, Haitna’s team was able to draw tangible value from business growth workshops.
The speed-networking and meet-up sessions made it a one-of-a-kind experience for us. And like every attendee, we were intrigued to learn real-life tips from successful entrepreneurs.

Five Things We Learned in San Antonio Small Business Expo – 2021

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1. Valuable Vendors and New Laws & Regulations

San Antonio Small Business Expo brought new collaboration opportunities for our business. We learned about new vendors and new business opportunities.
Moreover, the expo brought forth knowledge about new rules and regulations for our business. The insights about local rules and guidelines further helped us optimize our client processes.
We were able to learn the latest updates on local business laws. And we will surely put them into consideration for 2021.

2. Newest Marketing Trends for Small Businesses

Some of the most crucial sessions in the Small Business Expo were related to marketing trends.
We, being one of the leading internet marketing firms ourselves, found these sessions much intriguing.
Industry experts talked about the evolution of marketing trends. And there were discussions about how new marketing trends are replacing the old ones.
We were also able to contribute immensely through these sessions.
Many small & medium businesses were curious to learn about the latest social media trends. And there were dedicated sessions related to SMB advertising and promotions.
One could draw insights into which social platforms earned high marketing ROIs for SMBs.

3. New Growth Strategies from Business-Critical Workshops

The Small Business Expo brought live a great learning experience for small & medium businesses.
There were several workshops related to business growth strategies for SMBs.
Moreover, businesses were able to learn practical tips related to business growth.
We were impressed by the workshops on social media marketing and SEO for SMBs. And each of these workshops was accompanied by knowledge sharing sessions.

4. Speed-Networking Strategies and Improving Customer Services

No wonder San Antonio Small Business Expo offered great networking opportunities. We were able to gain significant value from speed-networking sessions.
Further, one of the key focus areas was related to improving customer services. Here successful entrepreneurs shared their real-life experiences and best practices.
These points came down as notes for new businesses, who now don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Related : Best Spots to Work Remotely in San Antonio

5. Business Setup and Business Finance Tips

The small business event was a virtual hub of entrepreneurs and startups. Along with business setup tips, the expo brought insights into business finance strategies.
You can use these strategies to get startup funding on the go. Moreover, there were insights on how to minimize tax deductions and get tax benefits.
Experts further talked about tips to grow business turnover without increasing investments.

7 Common Mistakes Companies Do in Expo & How to Avoid Them

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1. Attending the Expo without any Defined Objective

How can you measure the value that you draw from your visit to a business expo? By analyzing your learnings against your objective!
However, some businesses fail to define a clear objective before they enroll for an expo. And this is a reason why they fail to draw true value from the event.
You must take a look at all the event categories and schedules. Next, you must match these details with your objective. Your objective can be related to:

• Learning new business growth strategies
• Networking for new prospects or vendors
• Connecting with investors and raising funding for your business
• Learning through workshops

You can pin the events or sessions crucial for your business. This way, you ensure that you don’t miss the pinned events even during parallel event schedules.

2. Picking the Wrong Participants for Your Expo Team

The team you choose for an exhibition defines the success you draw from the event.
If you wish to set up a brand’s stand at the event, your staff must know to deal with stand setting up challenges. Moreover, you must have the best sales guy to earn you prospects and sales in the event.
If you are attending the event remotely, your team must be quick to handle tech challenges. And they must plan for virtual product demonstrations.

3. Failing at Defining Roles & Responsibilities

When attending an event, it is easy to lose track of your team performance. And it is easy to fail at team management during events.
Instead, you must define individual roles & responsibilities within your exhibition staff. You might also need to segregate your team into multiple groups to attend parallel events.
The good idea is to define shifts, so the team members get ample rest during the exhibition. It will impact their individual and overall team performance.

4. Not Practicing Your Pitch, Presentation, and Product Demonstration

You might get less than 10 seconds to catch your prospect’s attention. If you fail to demonstrate your product or get your pitch across to an ideal prospect, you are most likely to miss out on deals.
Moreover, public product demonstrations and client pitching is sweat-inspiring. And you cannot ignore the heat of the daunting competition in a business expo.
Here are some tips:

• Practice your client pitches and product demonstrations
• Plan your brochures, flyers, and business cards, etc.
• Make contingency plans
• Create virtual presentations

5. Failing to Plan a Lead Capturing Strategy

Many businesses leave their marketing efforts open-ended in an expo. They focus on getting better business exposure by sharing catalogs and business cards.
However, you also need to plan a lead capture strategy. You can plan giveaways in exchange for their contact information.
You can share virtual product demonstrations or free trial access in exchange for prospect email IDs.
You also need to pull off direct sales and promote referral strategies.

6. Not Preparing for Contingencies

A business exhibition can be a great space to bring your business into the spotlight. But, you need to prepare for live presentations, and live product demonstrations, etc. And therefore, your failures have equally good chances of sharing the spotlight.
That said, you need to keep your contingency plans ready.

• Your Wi-Fi doesn’t work? Keep an offline product demonstration video.
• Your virtual presentation isn’t gaining attention? Ask your sales team to go live with the client pitch.

Ensure you keep your backup plans ready to deal with real-time debacles.

Related : Haitna Listed in Glassdoor's Best Places to Work in San Antonio, TX Area

7. Not Buying the Right Business Exposure in an Expo

Business exhibition events attract plentiful businesses and entrepreneurs. And it is easy to disappear into the huge business competition in a popular business expo.
Therefore, you must buy your business the right exposure in an exhibition. You should pay and book an eye-catching exhibition stand for your business.
Further, if it is a virtual event, you can buy ample business presentation windows. You can also apply as a contributor or volunteer for some events.
Also, make sure that you keep your branding in the spotlight at the expo.

San Antonio Small Business Expo - 2021 - Pricing

Businesses could simply register and attend the virtual event for free.

San Antonio Small Business Expo - 2021 - Location & time

The virtual Expo was held on 28th January 2021 from 10 AM to 5 PM (CST).