Oconee County Business Expo Will be More Interactive Than Ever Before

Community members can meet face-to-face with representatives of dozens of local businesses conveniently gathered in one spot at the upcoming Oconee Business Expo.

The 23rd annual event, which will take place from 4-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, at the Oconee County Civic Center, boasts giveways, raffles and more.

"We are bursting at the seams!" Oconee County Chamber Manager Zoe Gattie exclaimed. "We've got 54 indoor booths and six outdoor."

Attendees will be greeted by many familiar faces, among them employees of BankSouth and , both of which have won awards in the past for their over-the-top booths. But other businesses like Performance Pediatrics, Menchie's and the Georgia Chapter of HOSA will be making first-time appearances.

New this year as part of the Leadership Oconee project will be an "Ask the Experts" panel that will answer questions related to new or ongoing businesses, according to group member David Walton, owner of Fox's Pizza Den.

"Our goal as a group is to enhance the Expo experience by providing attendees access to free information related to their businesses," Walton said.

Some of the experts include John Laster (legal/ business structure expert), Christa Hinzmann (commercial insurance expert), Roby Redwine (commercial real estate expert), Chad Thomason and Tim Watson (finance/banking expert), Jim Flannery (Four Athens - small business expert), Kay Remar (UGA Small Business Development Center), Rusty Haygood (Oconee County Economic Development Director),  Krista Gridley (Oconee County Planner), and Gabby Bryan (Oconee County Code Enforcement).

Something else new this year, Walton said, is "The PIZZA game," which will be handed out to high school students to help encourage interaction with businesses at the Expo.  The concept was based on feedback from past events.

"Students will complete the card by visiting the vendors and obtaining an interesting fact about each business," he explained. "They then can redeem the completed card for a free pizza from Fox's."

Raffle drawings will take place throughout the afternoon, and there will be tractors and a bouncy house outside for the kids.

"We are really excited," Gattie said. "It's going to be a fun, free event for the whole family."

Check out these photos and video from previous years:

• The Oconee Chamber Business Expo Swells with Visitors
• Local Businesses Turn Out For Expo

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