Heart of Illinois Trade Fair - Buyer Registration
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 1:00 PM - Wednesday, October 01, 2008 at 2:00 PM (CT)
The Heart of Illinois Trade Fair is a business networking activity designed to create new markets for suppliers and new sources for buyers. It is a corporate and minority business exchange.
Designed to enable Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) the opportunity to identify current marketplace needs and appropriate personnel within the area's leading corporations and government agencies, the 2008 Heart of Illinois Trade Fair also focuses on providing buyers and procurement decision makers the opportunity to identify new competitive sources of services and supplies.
Through a series of focus-group discussions, MBEs are efficiently able to market their capabilities and capacities to major corporations and government agencies and buyers are able to inform MBEs of their procurement processes in a relaxed, personable setting - in one location - in one day.
Schedule of Events
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
- 5:00p.m. Reception Ceremony - Alexander's Steakhouse in Normal, Illinois
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
- 7:00a.m. Registration
- 8:00a.m. Kick-off Breakfast
- 9:30a.m. Keynote Presentations & Award Ceremony
- 10:30a.m. Buyers Forum*
- 2:30p.m. Conclusion
*Buyers Forum Information
The purpose of this event is to substantially match current purchasing needs with qualified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) vendors. The following outline details the format for this event.
- Prior to the event each registered corporation and government buying group will submit a list of commodities/services that the corporation is planning to purchase within the next 6 to 12 months. Note: This is requested by 9 September 2008.
- In response to the provided list of commodities, the Heart of Illinois staff will compile a list of qualified minority business owners that have the capabilities to meet the buying organization's requirements. After thoroughly reviewing each business owner's history and determining if the business is a match to the buying organizations' needs, businesses will be scheduled to participate in the 1 October Forum.
- At the Forum, each buying organization/designated buyer will be assigned to a table engage a pre-selected group of 4-5 minority business owners for a 40-minute interval. The buying representative will initiate the discussion by sharing his/her comany's procurement focus and the "rules of engagement" for his/her respective procurement process for approximately 5-8 minutes. After the remarks from the buying representative, each minority business owner will take approximately 5-6 minutes to discuss his/her business' capabilities, capacities and value proposition. Note: Because of the targeted nature of this event, it is appropriate that corporation BUYERS attend the Buyers Forum along with the Supplier Diversity Manager.
- After 40 minutes, the MBE participants will rotate to the next scheduled buying table. Each corporation will meet with approximately 4 groups of business owners throughout the Forum. This format should afford the opportunity for the buying organizations to engage a host of potential suppliers and exchange information for future discussions.
LODGING
Signature Inn Bloomington-Normal
101 S. Veterans Parkway, Normal IL 61761
(309) 454-4044
National 800 Number: 1-800-526-3766 (To book within the block and secure the block rate, callers must ask to be connected to the Bloomington-Normal location.)
Room Block Rate = $69.00
To book within the block and secure the block rate, callers must reference the Group Code, which is HOITFA.
Registration fees are nonrefundable seven (14) days prior to the start of the event.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 1:00 PM
- to -
Wednesday, October 01, 2008 at 2:00 PM (CT)
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Council Enterprises, Inc.
Council Enterprise's role is to support and develop minority-owned businesses by facilitating important connections between corporations and minority suppliers. Our regional Council operates under the umbrella of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, one of the country's leading business membership organizations. It was chartered in 1972 to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for minority businesses of all sizes. The NMSDC network includes a national office in New York and 39 regional Councils across the country. There are 3,500 corporate members throughout the network, including most of America's largest publicly-owned, privately-owned and foreign-owned companies, as well as universities, hospitals and other buying institutions. As a regional Council, we certify and match minority-owned businesses (Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American) with member corporations that want to purchase goods and services. Through our events we are able to provide opportunities of exchange and partnership to both supplier and corporate members. Our territory includes the state of Wisconsin, Central Illinois and Iowa. Council leadership is provided by President, Floyd Rose, Ph.D.
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