New Engage & Ignite Small Business Conference Scheduled for May 11

Leading-edge ideas and enlightening discussions about the fundamentals of running a small business are the topics of a new conference that has been added to our annual Small Business Awards event. The Engage & Ignite Small Business Conference will be held on Wednesday, May 11, prior to the Small Business Awards Luncheon and the announcement of the 2016 Small Business of the Year. Angie Elliott, Vice President of Business Services, says the new conference is the brainchild of the Small Business Awards planning committee. “The annual Small Business Awards luncheon is always well attended because people really enjoy learning the stories behind the success of our top ten small businesses. They like to peek behind the scenes and learn about the obstacles those businesses have overcome and how they can apply some of those lessons to their own organizations. We’ve been working on expanding that learning experience and the result is a new morning conference that will be followed by our annual luncheon.” The conference will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency of Wichita. Three sessions are available for attendees every half hour with a short break in between. Topics range from Dealing with Common Family Business Challenges to Low-Cost Marketing Ideas. The luncheon begins at 11:15 a.m. Elliott said the Small Business Awards committee kept the conference cost affordable at $15 per person. “We’re hoping that businesses will send more than one person to the conference since we have so many interesting speakers who are focused on providing valuable take-aways that attendees can immediately implement in their operations.” Small Business Awards Events

• April 14 – Sunrise Scrambler – 7:30 to 9 a.m. – Wichita Marriott 10 award finalists share insights about their companies.
• May 11 – Engage & Ignite Small Business Conference – 9 to 11 a.m. – Hyatt Regency Wichita Choose from nine half-hour sessions hosted by local business experts.
• May 11 – Small Business Awards Luncheon – 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. – Hyatt Regency Wichita Ten finalists are celebrated and two are named Small Business of the Year.

Register for all events at wichitachamber.org.