Community's largest free business networking event supports minority and small business contracting
Timing for event is 9 a.m. to noon, corrected below.
Hillsborough County, Fla. (April 23, 2025) - Hillsborough County's Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) and Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Programs will host the 11th Annual Open Doors Forum, a free networking event giving entrepreneurs space to make business opportunities happen, on Tuesday, April 29.
Small business owners know that you have to be tenacious and also vulnerable to get new business. Telling your story, making connections, and learning from experience is integral to the process. The annual Open Doors event is a chance to hone those skills and create business opportunities.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at The Regent, 6437 Watson Rd., Suite 101, Riverview, FL 33578. A light breakfast will be served.
Exhibitors include prime contractors, local government agencies, and firms ready to help with business financing, insurance, and bonding. Small businesses should bring plenty of business cards and be prepared to mingle with the 50 exhibitors who are ready to meet them.
Tips for networking success:
- Bring plenty of business cards
- Have patience and understand that you might have just a few minutes at each table
- Be ready to sell yourself and your business in those few minutes - prepare a brief pitch
- After the event, check your email and phone messages regularly, and respond to exhibitor calls quickly
To attend the event, register at HCFL.gov/OpenDoorsForum, and for more information contact Theresa Kempa at KempaT@HCFL.gov.