The fourth bi-annual Lehigh Valley Meet the Buyers Expo will be held on Oct. 23, 2019, at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) said recently.
The event allows small businesses to meet with government and private industry professionals to discuss procurement deals and business opportunities. More than 200 attendees and 50 buyers participated in the last event in October 2017.
Registration will open on Feb. 1.
“It’s an opportunity for the business community of the Lehigh Valley to come together,” LVEDC Director of Business Outreach Programs Melody Bradford said. “It allows for smaller businesses to meet the procurement officers and the key people at our larger businesses,” she said, “and for the larger businesses to understand what types of local sourcing opportunities may be available to them in the Lehigh Valley.”
Lehigh University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is coordinating the expo for the first time this year. A committee of the LVEDC Local Sourcing and Business Diversity Council previously coordinated the event.
“Being a part of Meet the Buyers since the first event in 2013, the Lehigh University SBDC is excited for the opportunity to lead the expansion of the Expo,” Brett Smith, associate director of Lehigh University’s SBDC, said. “Our ability to tap into our neighboring SBDCs will attract more small businesses to this unique networking opportunity in the region, and it will allow us to promote the importance of sourcing local and diverse suppliers to a wider network of buyers. We look forward to growing this event with LVEDC and the rest of the Steering Committee and making 2019 our most successful expo yet.”