SBA Offers Free Town Hall, Forums on Social Media, Exporting, and Contracting During National Small Business Week

Events Will Be Webcast Live

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Small business owners looking for ways to grow and develop their businesses are invited to take part in National Small Business Week's free networking and educational forums and dialogue with leading business experts during National Small Business Week, May 20-22 in Washington, D.C. 

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The U.S. Small Business Administration and its private sector partners are holding key business forums, and are encouraging small business owners and entrepreneurs to sign up, register and spread the word to other small businesses interested in attending.  

The free forums include a town hall with SBA Administrator Karen Mills on why small businesses are good for the long-term health of any economy; a social media forum on best practices for putting new media tools to work for small businesses; and an exporting forum on how SBA can help businesses find customers abroad.  The schedule also includes sessions on federal contracting, selling to large companies, and business matchmaking with major corporations and government agencies.

The town hall and forum events will be webcast live to allow business owners across the country to participate if they cannot attend in person. While registration is required to attend forums and sessions in person (onsite registration will be provided), the live online webcast will be available free at www.NationalSmallBusinessWeek.com.  To register to attend, find more information on the live webcast, or for a detailed schedule of events and speakers, visit the National Small Business Week website at www.NationalSmallBusinessWeek.com.

All events will take place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Conference Center, 1330 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, D.C.  The scheduled forums include:

• Town Hall Meeting – Small Businesses Creating an Economy Built to Last
• Exporting Forum – Taking Your Business Global
• Social Media Forum – Join the Conversation (hosts will take your questions in person and on Twitter using the hashtag #SBW2012)
• Federal Contracting Educational Sessions – Small businesses will learn how to market themselves to the federal government and go after government contracting opportunities
• How Small Businesses can win Big with Large Companies – Small businesses will learn how to work with large companies to sell their products.

Small Business Week 2012 sponsors and cosponsors include: AARP, Association of Small Business Development Companies, AT&T, Dun & Bradstreet, InterContinental Hotels Group, International Franchise Association, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, National Association of Development Companies, National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders,  National Association for the Self-Employed, National Small Business Association, Neustar, Northrop Grumman, Office Depot, Paychex, Inc., Prudential, Raytheon, Sage North America, Salesgenie, SCORE, Small Business Investor Alliance,T- Mobile, VISA, Wall Street Journal and Women Impacting Public Policy.

The U.S. Small Business Administration's participation in this cosponsored activity does not constitute an express or implied endorsement of any cosponsor's, donor's, grantee's, contractor's or participant's opinions, products, or services. All SBA programs and cosponsored programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least 2 weeks in advance, by contacting [email protected]. Cosponsorship Authorization #SBW2012.

Contact: Cecelia Taylor (202) 401-3059
Internet Address: www.sba.gov/news
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SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration

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