a A circus-themed business expo will be held all day Wednesday at Downstream Casino Resort.
Hours for the annual Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce Exhibition are 9 a.m. to noon. Admission is free if you show your business card. B2C business hours are from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $5, but children 5 and under are free.
This year is the 31st Expo. More than 100 companies participated this year, and exhibitor space was sold out, said Erin Slifka, director of marketing and communications for the chamber.
There are also some new companies that have never exhibited before. Slifka said the chamber expects more than 1,300 people to attend the one-day event.
“The Business Expo is a great opportunity for people to connect with each other and the community,” Slifka said. “This is a way to reintroduce companies that are established in our region, but also companies that are new to the market.”
Slifka said the decision to change from a two-day expo to a one-day event was made to ensure a positive experience for both exhibitors and visitors. Holding the expo on one day should streamline the experience.
He also said businesses will go all out to decorate and dress up to match the theme. This year's theme is “Under the Big Top.”
“When you do a circus, you put everyone in one room,” Slifka says. “It's about supporting the community and each other. There are many different players in the circus, but we all play an important role in the business community.”
As Stormy Nordstrom prepared for the expo Tuesday afternoon, she decorated a table in her independent living center with a circus train carrying animal crackers and circus peanuts. Mr. Nordstrom is responsible for payroll and billing at the center at 2639 E. 34th St.
The center opened in Joplin in 1995 and serves people with disabilities, Nordstrom said.
The center has been a resident at the Expo for nearly 20 years, and Nordstrom is also a member of the Expo Committee. She appreciates the opportunity to network and share the center's message with new people at the expo, and she said she always gets good referrals from the event.
“We're one of those companies where people don't know about us until they need us,” Nordstrom said. “So I think the more we get our name out there, the better our lives will be and the more we can help people in need.”
Across the convention hall, Brooke Schuster was putting the finishing touches on the Knee Spa booth. The full-service spa located within the Downstream Casino Resort offers massages, body wraps and scrubs, and sauna services.
Schuster said he has been exhibiting at the expo for more than eight years. Some people may not know about these services offered downstream, so the expo will help disseminate information to them.
The circus-themed Knee Spa offers carnival games and spa discounts. Schuster said the fun theme attracts people to learn about the spa services.
Home Pro owner John Tallis oversaw employees installing signage at the booth. Home Pro was founded in 1990, located at 3271 N. Main St. We are a full-service home improvement company that handles windows, doors, siding, pools, and many other home improvements.
Downstream Casino Resort is the organizing sponsor. Home Pro is a Gold Sponsor.
Tallis said Home Pro is family-owned and his five children, siblings and nephews work there. He also said the event is a great opportunity to support local businesses in Joplin.
“We have a great community and a great business environment and we want to be a part of that,” Tallis said.
This year's Home Pro booth focuses on our position as the nation's largest stockist of fiberglass pools. The booth also features siding, window and solar products.
Tallis said the expo is also an opportunity to recognize Joplin's strengths as a business community.
“There are more opportunities out there than I ever imagined,” he added. “I have companies in Detroit and Dallas, but nothing compares to these four states.”
