Posted on November 7, 2002
Showcase 2002 a big success
Expo tables do business; Salinas, Monterey Peninsula Businesses Attend
Show; Exhibits help clients, job seekers
By Brian Gaylord
The Californian
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Salinas Valley and the Monterey Peninsula chambers of commerce
teamed up for their ninth annual Showcase on Wednesday, and exhibitors
seemed pleased with the foot traffic at the tables.
Nearly 130 businesses exhibited at the trade
show, held at the Monterey Conference Center. The show gives exhibitors
a chance to network with other exhibitors and showcase their business to
prospective customers, clients and job seekers.
Beverly Meamber, interim president and chief executive officer of the
Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the exhibitors were about
evenly split between Salinas businesses and those from the Monterey
Peninsula. A number of businesses belong to both chambers, she said.
Matt Lopez, president and chief executive officer with the Monterey
Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, said the joint trade show is a natural
fit.
"Any time you can combine the two, it breeds business," he said.
Marie Lefebvre, sales manager for the National Steinbeck Center, said
the center holds private events and corporate meetings, and the trade
show allowed them to market to a Monterey audience. It's also a
networking opportunity to drum up interest in corporate and individual
memberships, she said.
Colleen Courtney, a mortgage facilitator for Monterey Coast Mortgage,
handled inquiries at the Central Coast Le Tip booth. Le Tip, with more
than a half-dozen chapters in Monterey County including Salinas and
Monterey, is a professional organization of men and women who exchange
business tips. The event was a good fit for Le Tip.
"It (trade show) allows us to meet people in different professions,"
Courtney said. "It's a good way to prospect."
Clarence Low, project manager for Monterey-based exhibitor Byte
Technology, said he generated a few "warm leads" in the first hour for
Byte's Web site design and network support business.
"It's been excellent," Low said. "It's a no-brainer, being part of
this."
Source:
Californian Online
