BIRMINGHAM — Small business owners and entrepreneurs across the state can benefit from the upcoming Alabama Minority Vendor Conference and Showcase, an event dedicated to empowering small and disadvantaged businesses across the state.
Scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, in Birmingham, this showcase serves as a vital platform for public agencies, private entities, and minority-owned businesses to connect, network and explore potential partnerships.
“The conference and showcase are dedicated to small and disadvantaged businesses in Alabama and can offer invaluable networking and procurement opportunities,” said Eddie Postell, director of the Office of Small Business Advocacy at the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“By bringing these businesses together with potential clients and partners, the event can help them gain visibility, forge strategic connections, and explore new avenues for growth,” he added.
Anthony Daniels, minority leader of the Alabama House of Representatives, and Bobby Singleton, the Alabama Senate minority leader, signed a letter encouraging state agencies to attend the conference.
“The Alabama Minority Vendor Conference is designed to foster the growth and advancement of minority businesses in Alabama,” they write in a letter. “On the opening day of the conference, the Minority Vendor Showcase serves as a bustling networking hub.
“This event brings together minority businesses, public agencies, local governments, private industries, and other business development organizations, fostering valuable connections and partnerships,” they added.
The Alabama Minority Vendor Conference aims to facilitate a collaborative environment where business leaders can connect with training and development resources, network, and identify potential partnerships and procurement opportunities in both the public and private sectors.
Key highlights of the event include:
- Minority Vendor Showcase: Offers a unique platform for public agencies and private entities to meet potential vendor partners and facilitate access to procurement opportunities.
- Engagement Opportunities: Participants can engage directly with innovative business owners, explore new solutions, and contribute to the growth and development of small and minority-owned enterprises in Alabama.
- Growing Participation: With more than 200 registrants in 2023, approximately 80% of whom represented minority- and veteran-owned businesses, anticipation is building for the 2024 showcase. Last year’s event saw participation from a wide range of professional services, including architecture, engineering, construction, product suppliers, retailers, and service professionals from across the state.
Alabama’s minority business owners have consistently expressed a desire to better understand the state’s procurement processes and gain greater awareness of the paths to securing contracts that support state projects and services.
Register today to attend the 2024 Showcase, meet potential vendors, and discuss your agency’s procurement processes and contract opportunities. For additional details, visit minorityvendorconference.com.
