The Florida State University Office of Supplier Diversity and the Capital City Chamber of Commerce will host their inaugural Vendor Conference and Trade Fair on May 27 at the FSU Turnbull Conference Center in Tallahassee. Small, minority, women, and service-disabled veteran business owners as well as governmental and corporate purchasing agents are encouraged to attend the one-day networking event.
The trade fair is intended to promote best practices in diversity and inclusion by providing a professional environment that facilitates direct interaction, networking and relationship building with vendors and procurement staff from state agencies, universities and corporations. Participating are governmental agencies from the State of Florida, City of Tallahassee, Leon County, FSU and Florida A&M University along with numerous private companies.
Seminars and workshops will include “Managing Your End User and Suppliers,” “Small Business Financing,” “Small Business Loan Underwriting/Surety Bonding,” “Best Practices/Bidding Power,” “How to Market My Goods or Services,” “International Business Protocol,” and “Small Acts of Inclusion.” William Guillory, Ph.D., president of Innovations International, Inc., will be the keynote speaker at the trailblazer awards luncheon. Guillory is recognized as an authority on diversity, leadership and quantum thinking.
The Vendor Conference and Trade Fair will be held:
THURSDAY, MAY 27
8 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
FSU Augustus B. Turnbull Conference Center
555 W. Pensacola Street
Tallahassee, FLA.
Admission is free for visitors to the trade fair (registration preferred); various charges will apply for booth rental, seminars and lunch. For a complete schedule of fees and events, and to register, visit http://supplierdiversity.fsu.edu/vendorconference, or call the FSU Supplier Diversity office at (850) 645-4737 or the Capital City Chamber of Commerce at (850) 224-0152.
The FSU Supplier Diversity Program is designed to enhance the university’s supplier base, which reflects the wide diversity of its students, faculty, staff and community, by expanding relationships and enriching economic opportunities. The Capital City Chamber of Commerce was established in 1994 with a focus on minority and small business enterprises. Currently, the Chamber is focusing on increasing its memberships, enhancing marketing, and establishing workable solutions that promote minority enterprise growth, development and community building.
CONTACT:
Edward Acoff, director, FSU Supplier Diversity
(850) 363-0848; [email protected]
