Southwest Business Expo coming to Deloraine

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This article was published 30/01/2024 (598 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After a successful event in Kola in 2023, the Southwest Business Entrepreneur Expo is being held this year in Deloraine on Feb. 7.

This is the first time in the event’s seven-year history that it will be hosted in Deloraine, says Glenn Schellenberg, economic development officer for the Municipality of Deloraine-Winchester.

“What we do is between the member communities — we alternate each time for the host community,” he told the Sun.

The theme of this year’s event is “Business Succession Planning,” but the expo will also focus on other employment challenges, Schellenberg said.

“It’s getting tough, it seems, everywhere for employers to find people to fill jobs. So we’re looking at some speakers that can shed some insight on that.”

In choosing the theme, Schellenberg and other organizers wanted to focus on business owners who are looking to retire or move on to a new chapter in their lives. Often, they put their business up for sale, but that comes with risks, he said.

“If that business can’t be sold, or if there is no one to turn the reins over to, as is the case all too often, that community will lose that business.”

Losing businesses when the owner retires is something that happens in smaller communities all across the province, not just in southwestern Manitoba. A panel discussion will be held on the topic with experts who have experience in both selling and buying businesses, Schellenberg said.

“It’s someone who’s looking to transition a business to a new owner, and then the others who have purchased an existing business and they’re making that transition. We’re trying to get some open discussion and share some experiences on that.”

The trade show is another major part of the expo that people look forward to every year, according to Schellenberg. Local and regional businesses display their wares and promote their goods, services and businesses.

In addition to the discussion panel, there’s also a lineup of speakers. Nine entrepreneurs will have the chance to pitch their business ideas in a competition that includes cash awards to winning presenters.

“They can make a presentation on their business … with a panel of judges to adjudicate it, and they can win some substantial prize money to use for their businesses,” Schellenberg said.

In total, $11,000 will be given out in both cash and other prizes, with each participating municipality contributing. The competition is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs and business owners to get feedback on their business plans and expand their network, Schellenberg said.

Southwestern Manitoba is an advantageous place to be an entrepreneur and start up a new business or take over an existing one, he added.

“We need to draw on the benefits that are inherent in our region and our municipalities and town and really highlight those … and showcase some of the benefits that are here,” he said. “You don’t have to move to Brandon or Winnipeg or any other centre to create a successful business.”

It’s not just the host communities that get to shine during the exposition either, Schellenberg said. Representatives from different municipalities across southwestern Manitoba will be there to show off what their communities have to offer entrepreneurs.

Since the first event in 2018, it’s just kept growing and getting better, he added. And although last year’s event was supposed to be in Deloraine, due to unforeseen circumstances it was moved to Kola, located three kilometres east of the Saskatchewan border in the Rural Municipality of Wallace-Woodworth.

“For such a tiny community, they drew a big, big audience,” Schellenberg said. “It was really quite amazing. It’s the kind of event that draws its own interest.”

Tiffany Cameron, the economic development officer for the RM of Wallace-Woodworth, said she is looking forward to next week’s expo, especially as the one she helped plan last year was so successful, despite hosting it at the last minute and during inclement weather.

“That was a win for us,” she said. “It’s a really good event.”

Many of the attendees from last year have come back this year as participants and even sponsors, Cameron said.

“How they engage might be different, but we get people wanting to come back every year and support the event and make sure it happens.”

In addition to the pitch competition, she’s also looking forward to various breakout sessions that take place in the afternoon, allowing people to get answers to their burning business questions from experts from the Canadian Revenue Agency.

“They’re there to help you do it right the first time, before you make a mistake,” Cameron said.

To register for the event, visit swbusinessexpo.com.

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