BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana Minority Business Development Agency, in collaboration with Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, East Baton Rouge City-Parish, and local partners, will host a Minority Business Enterprises Vendor Fair on Tuesday, March 12. The event, scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Raising Canes River Center, aims to provide a platform for minority business enterprises (MBEs) to showcase their products and services to the City-Parish and prominent companies operating in Baton Rouge.
In addition to facilitating networking opportunities with purchasing managers and directors, the fair offers small businesses owned by minorities, women, and veterans a chance to obtain certification with the Office of Supplier Diversity for City-Parish contracts and procurement opportunities.
Participating minority businesses will have the opportunity to host a vendor table, enabling them to share information about their company with attendees from the main stage. Moreover, qualified MBEs can engage in three-minute pitch sessions with procurement officers and contract managers. Financial institutions like b1 Bank and TruFund Financial will also be present to assist MBEs in identifying additional sources of capital.
This vendor fair is part of a comprehensive training series in the capital city aimed at ensuring the success of small and local business enterprises. The City-Parish Purchasing Department, committed to supporting the growth of these enterprises, recently co-hosted a vendor system training session on January 23. This session equipped MBEs with the necessary tools to register and manage a vendor account, thereby enhancing their ability to secure government contracts.
Although registration for the event is free, it is mandatory. Business owners from various industries are encouraged to participate.
For additional information and registration, please visit here.