On Thursday, November 15 from 3 – 7 pm at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in their Special Event Center
By Tricia Witkower
With so much to love about this beautiful valley we live in, one way to keep the desert thriving is by shopping local. There is a plethora of independent, local businesses who provide all the services and goods a larger national franchise might. But these companies keep our community unique, create jobs in the Coachella Valley, and provide consumers with more personalized customer service. To support these efforts and this sentiment, the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce is holding its 2nd Annual GCV Small Business EXPO on Thursday, November 15 from 3 – 7 pm at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in their Special Event Center. The event, presented by the City of Indio and sponsored by Desert Insurance Solutions and Fantasy Springs, is open to the public and all are welcome and encouraged to join as we kick off Small Business Week in the Coachella Valley. Your $7 admission price grants you access to networking, local businesses, drawings and raffles, and much more.
At last year’s event, over 150 innovative exhibitors, restaurants, and vehicles filled the showroom to highlight our community and its local business professionals, leaders, business owners, nonprofit organizations, as well as popular attractions, all with an emphasis on shopping local. Featuring a mixture of recent start-ups as well as long-established businesses, attendees can find resources and referrals at the event that lends itself to rich networking opportunities. All attendees will have a chance to experience a large sample of our local economy, including their popular pop-up villages. The villages focus on the building, medical and business networking industries. The day will be filled with meaningful interaction, activities, small bites and tastings, giveaways, raffles, drawings and music throughout the event space.
“We are creating awareness and excitement around our local businesses by bringing together some of the brightest minds and best companies from the valley together at the EXPO,” says GCVCC Chief of Staff, Katie Stice. “These business owners, managers and staff live in our communities, send their kids to our schools, join service clubs, support our nonprofits and impact the desert economy. Supporting local business is one of the best ways to strengthen our local economy and we can all do it together.”
CV Small Business Week ends with Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday is a national shopping holiday held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year and is sponsored by American Express. The GCVCC was recognized as a “2017 Neighborhood Champion” by Small Business Saturday in recognition for their work promoting local small business. The Chamber is a business membership organization representing the Coachella Valley. We support our members through legislative advocacy, education, networking, and other community based opportunities. The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce is a registered 501c6 non-profit supported through member contributions.
Head to Fantasy Springs Resort Casino’s Special Events Center on Thursday, November 15 for the GCV Small Business EXPO, from 3-7 pm. To learn more about the event, visit their website: www.GCVExpo.com
