Are you a woman business owner or diversity manager who wants to expand your company’s brand and promote the benefits (and challenges) of working in the nation’s fourth largest metropolitan area, not to mention busiest port regions?
Well if you are, where will you be when thousands of women entrepreneurs and diversity managers meet at the largest women-business owners’ event in Texas?
Registration is now open, as more than a thousand women and exhibitors will be on hand, May 27-28, 2015 at the George R. Brown Convention Center, for the 2015 Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance (WBEA) EXPO and to celebrate WBEA’s 20th anniversary.
More than 125 exhibitors and 1,200 women business owners, corporate procurement executives and federal contracting officers were on hand at the 2014 EXPO to exchange expertise and trade secrets, discuss business opportunities and encourage diversity throughout the ranks. Special WBEA EXPO events include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, trade show, awards luncheon, silent auction, and workshops, all in the spirit of commerce.
The WBEA is an affiliate of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and benefits a 94-county region throughout southeast Texas.
“Women continue to lead the way in entrepreneurial growth by numbers in the Houston and San Antonio marketplace, according to the 2014 State of Women Business Report by American Express Open,” says April Day, MBA and President of the Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance. “Our next phase of the WBEA EXPO is to move growth in the size of women owned businesses. WBEA is visibly positioned to assist in developing key relationships, powerful connections, and resources designed for scaling businesses in size and revenue.”
The WBEA Business EXPO is a signature event and fundraiser that helps fund certification support, educational programs and scholarships to over 800 Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) and more than 40,000 employees in Houston and southeast Texas.
“The WBEA Business EXPO is the go to place where women business owners increase their sales opportunity, showcase their products and services, and develop key relationships,” says Day. “WBEA holds a supportive network of top corporate partners and business owners from every industry.”
WBEA is strongly committed to increasing opportunities for women-owned businesses and providing qualified suppliers to corporate and government purchasers. This is event is an opportunity to provide women-led businesses and diversity managers:
- Scholarships for certified business owners and teams
- WBE certification
- Internship programs with the local higher education and community-focused entities
- Access to other opportunities through the WBEA Houston Galveston Women’s Business Center (WBC)
The WBC represents a national network of nearly 100 educational centers designed to start and grow small businesses. WBC’s provide business training, counseling, and mentoring in an effort to “level the playing field” for women entrepreneurs, who still face unique obstacles in the world of business. WBC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Last year’s EXPO was a huge success, thanks to the plethora of organizations driven to promote diversity and support women-led businesses.
Please visit www.wbea-texas.org or contact (713) 681-9232 for more information on the 2015 Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance EXPO. WBEA is a 501(c) (3) non-profit.