Annual Chamber Expo to feature samples from area restaurants, more than 150 exhibitors

The year’s big business get-together is set for Wednesday, with lots of food, giveaways and prizes featured at the Chamber Expo – all for the cost of a $5 admission.

The annual expo, a collaboration between the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled to run from 4-7:30 p.m. at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto.

Long-time chamber member Tom Seguin, owner of Suncoast Gems, said he attends the expo because he likes to “meet other cool business people.”

The expo is the chamber’s largest networking event of the year and typically attracts a crowd of 1,000 or more and promises to have something for everyone, not just members of the business community.

Business owners and managers use the event as a way to reintroduce themselves to potential partners and new customers, while those in the crowd typically are drawn by food, music and curiosity.

“Thirteen area restaurants will be giving away food samples,” said Cara Misiewicz, executive assistant for membership and development services at the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. “We are pretty excited to have more food vendors this year.”

In all, there will be more than 150 exhibitor booths, door prizes, music and a grand prize drawing. Attendees are invited to drop a business card into a large bingo drum when entering the convention center for a chance to win a prize.

The grand prize is a $1,500 “stay and play” vacation sponsored by CenterState Bank.

“It’s a vacation of sorts on our beautiful Suncoast,” Misiewicz said.

The prize will take the winner from Anna Maria Island to Longboat Key and downtown Bradenton, she said.

“Anyone who has a need for a service or product should attend the expo,” Misiewicz said.

The expo has been a fixture of the business calendar for more than a decade, but the first since long-time Manatee Chamber president Bob Bartz died in late February.

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 11:39 AM with the headline "Annual Chamber Expo to feature samples from area restaurants, more than 150 exhibitors."