Approximately 700 Smith Mountain Lake residents and visitors engaged with local business professionals representing 85 companies at the 18th Annual SML Business Expo on May 6 at EastLake Community Church.
Erin Stanley, Member Relations and Events Director for the SML Regional Chamber, which organizes the event, said it felt great to have the Expo back to full capacity and under more familiar conditions.
“The Expo is always a popular event at Smith Mountain Lake, and we are so pleased that people felt comfortable coming out and engaging with a wide range of SML area businesses,” Stanley said.
Free and open to the public, the Expo allowed exhibitors in diverse industries to share information on their products and services, answer questions, offer demonstrations, provide materials and network with other business professionals. In addition, vendors highlighted job openings and spoke to prospective applicants.
“We definitely saw a lot of conversations happening between business owners and attendees,” Stanley said. “It was exciting because strengthening the economic environment of our community is at the core of the Chamber’s mission.”
The event took place for the second straight year at EastLake Community Church for the second time and was sponsored by F&S Building Innovations, The Smith Mountain Eagle, and B99.9 Turner Media Group (WZBB-FM).
“We were so thankful for the indoor space, not just for the ease and beauty of this space but because it really was the perfect venue for such a rainy day,” Stanley said. “The church mall and gymnasium offered tons of space for vendors to spread out and display their products and services to attendees. We had a lot of positive community interaction and gave away tons of door prizes.”
Stanley said more than $2,000 worth of door prizes were given away, including a full size propane grill (The Realty Group Team - Keller Williams), a “Golfer’s Dream” gift basket including a one-hour lesson with the golf pro (Mariners Landing), as well as multiple gift cards and potted plants.
“We had two food trucks on site – Dirty Water Dogs SML and Chatham Slush – along with Smith Mountain Lake Coffee House inside EastLake Church, so there were plenty of convenient options for vendors and attendees to grab food and drinks throughout the afternoon.”
For more information, contact Erin Stanley at (540) 721-1203 or estanley@visitsmithmountainlake.com.
