Understanding and Assessing the Brisbane Small Business Expo 2019

The purpose of the paper is to understand and assess the functional phases of a business event of Australia. The business event selected for this paper is Brisbane Small Business Expo, 2019. The event was conducted in the month of April 2019 for six hours. The event was organized in the Hibiscus Sports Complex 90 Klumpp Rd, Upper Mount Gravatt, Brisbane , Australia. The venue was selected for its capacity and openness. The size accommodated a large number of aspiring or existing small business owners and their team and facilitated the conduction of the fringe activities of the expo. The Brisbane Small Business Expo was a networking event with the presence of speaker sessions, which was designed for the local small business owners in regards with building an effective exposure for the businesses. The audience for the event registered themselves for availing free ticket from a specific web address and the small business owners registered themselves for booking a stall or spot in the event venue. The paper presented a detailed description of the business events by highlighting the identified stakeholders associated with the event. The paper also reflected the benefits or learning for the involved stakeholders. The event lacked little functionality, which is presented in the paper through recommendations.

Running head: BUSINESS EVENT
BUSINESS EVENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary:
The purpose of the paper is to understand and assess the functional phases of a business event
of Australia. The business event selected for this paper is Brisbane Small Business Expo,
2019. The event was conducted in the month of April 2019 for six hours. The event was
organized in the Hibiscus Sports Complex 90 Klumpp Rd, Upper Mount Gravatt, Brisbane,
Australia. The venue was selected for its capacity and openness. The size accommodated a
large number of aspiring or existing small business owners and their team and facilitated the
conduction of the fringe activities of the expo. The Brisbane Small Business Expo was a
networking event with the presence of speaker sessions, which was designed for the local
small business owners in regards with building an effective exposure for the businesses. The
audience for the event registered themselves for availing free ticket from a specific web
address and the small business owners registered themselves for booking a stall or spot in the
event venue. The paper presented a detailed description of the business events by highlighting
the identified stakeholders associated with the event. The paper also reflected the benefits or
learning for the involved stakeholders. The event lacked little functionality, which is
presented in the paper through recommendations.

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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................................4
About:.....................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Authorisation and Purpose:..............................................................................................4
1.2 Limitations.......................................................................................................................4
1.3 Scope................................................................................................................................4
2.0 The Event.............................................................................................................................5
2.1 Event Name, Venue and Date..........................................................................................5
2.2 Event type and size...........................................................................................................5
2.3 Brief background of the event:.........................................................................................6
2.4 SMART Objectives of the Event.....................................................................................7
2.4.1 Specific:.....................................................................................................................7
2.4.2 Measurable................................................................................................................7
2.4.3 Achievable.................................................................................................................7
2.4.4 Relevant.....................................................................................................................7
2.4.5 Time-bound...............................................................................................................8
3.0 Event management............................................................................................................8
3.1 Event Organizational Structure........................................................................................8
3.2 Contact information for Event Management....................................................................9
3.3 Key Stakeholders and their relationship to the event.......................................................9
4.0 Event activity:......................................................................................................................9
4.1 Brief description of activities associated with the event..................................................9

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4.2 Brief analysis of perceived program fit to attendees......................................................10
4.3 Improvements to program..............................................................................................11
5.0 Event Location/Venue........................................................................................................11
5.1 Brief description of event location and venue................................................................11
5.2 Brief analysis of event venue fit to program and attendees...........................................12
5.3 Suggested improvements to choice of location, venue and/or its attributes..................12
6.0 Marketing & Sponsorship..................................................................................................13
6.1 Target Market(s).............................................................................................................13
6.2 Competitive environment assessment............................................................................13
6.3 Marketing communication strategy................................................................................14
6.4 Sponsorship....................................................................................................................14
6.5 Suggested improvements to the marketing and/or sponsorship arrangements for the
event.....................................................................................................................................15
Recommendations:...................................................................................................................15
Conclusion................................................................................................................................15

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1.0Introduction
About:
The events, which are facilitated in course of various operational activities for executing a
business process, are known as a business event. It can also be stated as the private or public
activity comprising of minimum 15 people and reflecting common interests, facilitated in a
specific venue and organized by organizations is considered as a business event (Levine
2017). A business event includes conventions, congresses, courses, conferences, exhibitions,
product launches and corporate expo(s) (Getz and Page 2016).
1.1 Authorisation and Purpose:
The report authorized by ______________, _____________ at _____________. The main
purpose of the paper is to reflect the importance and understanding of the business events of
Australia. The business event selected for the paper is Brisbane Small Business Expo 2019.
1.2 Limitations
The limitation can be explained as the boundaries, which was experienced during the live
observations and the phase of understanding the functionality of the business event. The duration
of the event restricts the opportunity of gathering extensive and comprehensive data from the
activities. Moreover, online information cannot present a detailed view of the actual business
event.
1.3 Scope
The paper aims at understanding and assessing the Brisbane Small Business Expo of 2019. The
paper will help in developing the understanding of the background information of the event,
the managerial efforts, selected venue with location, the sponsorship and marketing
communication approach. The paper will identify the issues of the selected event. The

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information was gathered by attending as well as through the help of online research. The
recommendations are presented for the purpose of responding to the concerns of the events.
2.0 The Event
2.1 Event Name, Venue and Date
The name of the event is Brisbane Small Business Expo. The event is organized and designed
by Paula Brand Small Business Expos. The expo was held on 4th of April 2019 at Hibiscus
Sports Complex 90 Klumpp Rd, Upper Mount Gravatt, Brisbane, Australia. The event is
designed for the local business owners as a form of networking platform for facilitating
business growth and effective exposure. The scheduled time for the business event, 10:00 am
to 4:00 pm and the official opening of Media VIP launch was scheduled at 9:45 am
(eventbrite.com 2019).
2.2 Event type and size
The Brisbane Small Business Expo is considered in the category of business events, which
can be described as the events, which are facilitated in course of various operational activities
for executing a business process, is known as a business event. It can also be stated as the
private or public activity comprising of minimum 15 people and reflecting common interests,
facilitated in a specific venue and organized by organizations. The size and kind are the
influencing factors for categorizing an event (eventbrite.com 2019). The selected event can
be considered as exhibitions, which are basically events where the small and medium
business displays the product or service offerings for the purpose of attracting regular
customers or business customers. The Brisbane Small Business Expo was designed for the
purpose of developing exposure as well as for growing the customer awareness about the
small local businesses. The audience could participate for free, which resulted in the high
attendance and exposure for the small businesses (Kasravi et al. 2017). The expo was

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designed with the motive of bringing the budding businesses and business
consumers/audiences in the same platform. The business event, Brisbane Small Business
Expo 2019 was a community initiative with the motive of generating sales leads in the
Brisbane area for the small to medium local businesses under the 25-minute radius. The
business owners were able to interact with the potential consumers through this medium. The
director and founder Small Business Expos is Paula Brand, the team at the Small Business
Expos aims at designing business exhibition for generating sales for the small business
owners. The exhibition hall comprised of 1600 plus small local businesses and more than
1200 attendees (eventbrite.com 2019). The expo had 8*8 minutes of presentation with
inspirational stories for the aspirational businesses and local trade tables for showcasing the
product and service offerings. Few of the prestigious sponsors of Brisbane Small Business
Expo are Small Business Expo, Barter Card, Bendigo Bank, EC writing services, First Print
Digital, Empowering events, Brisbane West Chamber of Commerce and Australian Small
Business Advisory Services. The Beauty Hub can be included in the list of sponsors (Di
Ciccio 2018).
2.3 Brief background of the event:
The Small Business Expos of Paul Brand originated the Brisbane Small Business Expo. The
expos of Small Business Expos are designed as small pop up stalls for showcasing the local
small businesses in Australia. The purpose of Brisbane Small Business Expo was to generate
heavy sales and awareness for the business owners of small businesses. The events are
currently organized in Logan, North Brisbane, Brisbane, South Gold Coast and North Gold
Coast.

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2.4 SMART Objectives of the Event
2.4.1 Specific:
The main aim of the Brisbane Small Business Expo as depicted by the website of Small
Business Expo of Paula Brand is strengthening the value and awareness of the local small
businesses for developing a strong and effective network for local businesses in the areas of
Australia.
2.4.2 Measurable
The affectivity of the functions for the set aim can be assessed through the numbers of
delegates, the number of displayed exhibitors, the number of attendees and the level of
interaction between the attendees. The total number of businesses showcased in the expo was
more than 1600 and the total number of attendees for the expo was more than 1200. The level
of interaction between the exhibitors (small business owners) and the attendees (audience)
was effective and constructed sales conversations.
2.4.3 Achievable
The small business owners experienced the opportunity of meeting 1000 of small business
owners and around 1200 potential or converted customers. The productive experiences from
learning the business strategies of around 216 owners as well as spreading awareness and
understanding the perception of the clients/customers based on a specific segment.
2.4.4 Relevant
The scheduled 8*8 presentation of the successful owners and the business analysts
contributes to the future strategies of businesses as well as the opportunity of interacting with
the Small Business team and Brisbane City Council team. The opportunities for the local
artists and entertainer for the showcasing their talent and offerings like local Beauty Hub
owner. Jodi Joy was the entertainer that evening.

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2.4.5 Time-bound
The opportunities needed to be utilized in one go, which was the day of event.
3.0Event management
3.1 Event Organizational Structure
Organizational structure depicts the coordination and frame of a business process. The
organizational chart of the Brisbane Small Business Expo specifically cannot be found in the
public domain. Therefore, the structure of the Paul Brand Small Business Expos will be
presented in this paper.
Founder and CEO of Small Business Expos is Paula Brand. The main deciding and planning
body of the organization is Paula Brand as she believes in the potentiality of small businesses.
The advisory board of Small Business Expos are responsible for providing effective
assistance in regards with strategy formation, crisis management, policymaking, business
operation and branding. Jim Burkett, David Power and Lars Halvorsen are the decision
makers in terms of event planning. The organization has a designated team for executing the
segments of business events.

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Fig: Organizational structure
(Source: smallbusinessexpos.com.au 2019)
3.2 Contact information for Event Management
The web address of the Small Business Expos for the information of the Brisbane Small
Business Expo can be used.
Contact information
Website: https://www.smallbusinessexpos.com.au/
Email id- [e-mail]
Registration for free ticket- https://brisbanebusinessexpo.eventbrite.com.au
Phone number- 0475 411 793
3.3 Key Stakeholders and their relationship to the event
The stakeholders of the Brisbane Small Business Expo are the employee or the team
members of Small Business Expo, the advisory board of the organization, the 1600
(approximately) small local business owners, the speakers, the entertainers, and the beauty
hub. The key stakeholders can also be the 1200 (plus) attendees in the business event. Few of
the key partners and sponsors of Small Business Expo are Small Business Expo, Barter Card,
Bendigo Bank, EC writing services, First Print Digital, Empowering events, Brisbane West
Chamber of Commerce and Australian Small Business Advisory Services (Hatten 2015).
4.0 Event activity:
4.1 Brief description of activities associated with the event
The event was designed as an interactive networking event for the small local business
owners. The event was constructed for the purpose of facilitating the goals and objectives of

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the businesses. The business event included significant activities like speaker sessions,
entertainment sessions as well as the incorporation of masseuse and relaxing beauty services.
The inspirational 8*8 duration presentations constructed the atmosphere for efficiency and
productiveness. The activities of the Brisbane Small Business Expo were designed for the
small and medium businesses, so that they can learn from the whole experience. The creation
of a platform with the inclusion of speakers for TinaXTalks were, Prav Singh-Pillay, Pip
Meecham, Robyn Gipters, Belinda-Jane Dolan, Megan Nolan, Chantal Gerardy, Francesca
Moi and Georgina Bowden. Other expo speakers include Adam Houlahan, Trevor Russell,
Catherine Palin-Brinkworth and David Letizia. The entertainer invited for the Brisbane Small
Business Expo was Jodie Joy. The event was also sponsored by beauty hub, which offered a
relaxation session for the attendees.
4.2 Brief analysis of perceived program fit to attendees
The schedule/program design of the event was efficiently planned, as it was a combination of
productive interaction, entertainment and relaxation. The relaxation and the entertainment
elements of the business events allowed the small business owners to hold the attention of the
businesses. The event started at 10:00 am and was concluded by 4:00 pm, which was
convenient for all the attendees. The business event was able to add values for each of the
stakeholder present in the event. The small local business owners were given the opportunity
for having a wholesome conversation with the audience/attendees for the purpose of
communicating the offerings and objectives. Moreover, the event presented opportunities for
the business owners in regards with learning and business growth ideas from the speakers.
The event encouraged the women business owners by offering TINAxTalks, which was
around 8*8 minute presentation with packed skills and inspirations. The capacity of the venue
added to the benefits of the event. The break from the business conversation was planned
with the fillers of entertainment at the venue. The program included the presence of food and

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beverages option for building the whole experience of the attendees. The attendees were
offered with free massage and brow waxing from the Beauty Hub. The event presented the
attendees with an offer of getting clicked at a Head Shot Hub for social media pages or
formal events. Relaxation session was filled with comfortable lounges, coffee and the option
of lunch. The entertainment factor was taken care by Jodie Joy.
4.3 Improvements to program
The business event, Brisbane Small Business Expo was effectively planned and the transition
of the event could reflect the smooth operational plan. The reason for the smooth transition
can be the positive atmosphere of the stadium where everyone was present to support each
other through business ideas (Le, Gabrys and Nauck 2017). Although, the business event was
a mixture of productivity (business activities) and entertainment, the focus could have a little
more on the business conversation between the speakers, local small business owners and the
attendees (Fardbastani, Allahdadi and Sharifi 2018). Planning separate events for
entertainment may have deviated the flow of the business conversations and face-to-face
networking (Wang et al. 2016).
5.0 Event Location/Venue
5.1 Brief description of event location and venue
The selected venue was well planned for the according the requirement of the business event.
The capacity of the Hibiscus Sports Complex was appropriate for accommodating around
1000 plus business Exhibitor Stands and more than 1200 attendees. The venue and location
was appropriate for attracting a large number of sponsors and attendee registrations. The
location was in Brisbane, which presented the opportunity of combining the potential
businesses from the main areas of operation. The indoor stadium was divided into separate

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areas, which helped with the facilitation of different events. The presence of areas for food
and beverage facility added to the value of the event execution
Fig. Map of Hibiscus Sports Complex, 90 Klumpp Rd, Upper Mt Gravatt, QLD 4122,
Australia
(Source: eventbrite.com 2019)
5.2 Brief analysis of event venue fit to program and attendees
The Hibiscus Sports Complex enabled the execution of all the planned programs of the business
event. The location allowed the organization to conduct the event with optimum transitional flow
and helped in attracting small business owners from the neighbouring areas. The venue was able
to accommodate more than 1200 attendees easily without the formation of long queues and
disturbances (Rogers and Davidson 2015). The venue was effectively divided for the optimum
utilization of the space. The availability of the local transport around the location reflected the
appropriateness of the venue.
5.3 Suggested improvements to choice of location, venue and/or its attributes
Even though the venue was appropriate for the conduction of the business event, Brisbane
Small Business Expo but the selection or structuring the design can be improved for future
events. Although, the structuring of the venue enabled the division of the speech area from

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the exhibitor stands and entertainment area but it somehow diverged the attention and
presence of the attendees (Jones 2017). The structuring of the venue design can be improved
for enabling the effective concentration of the business conversations
(smallbusinessexpos.com.au 2019).
6.0 Marketing & Sponsorship
6.1 Target Market(s)
The target market for the business event, Brisbane Small Business Expo was based on
demographic (occupation, gender and income level) and geographic segments (Australian or
residents of local regions). The main target market for Brisbane Small Business Expo was
corporate buyers due to its purpose of networking (Hallak et al. 2016). Students were also
targeted for the business events. Another target group was the local complementary business,
sponsors and entertainers.
6.2 Competitive environment assessment
Strengths  The timing (10:00 am to 4:00 pm)
 Appropriate location
 Appropriate venue with optimum
capacity
 Inclusion of successful speakers
 Fringe services
Weaknesses  Lack of heavy marketing
communication practices affected
the potentiality of the number of
attendees.
Opportunities  Future growth and support from

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government for supporting
Australian entrepreneurs (Burns
2016).
Threats  Other event organizing companies in
Australia.
6.3 Marketing communication strategy
The Brisbane Small Business Expo or the Small Business Expo strategizes the marketing
communication plan effectively for accomplishing the desired number of attendees. Selecting
marketing channel strategy like social media campaign can majorly contribute to the
execution of a successful business event (Eggert, Böhm and Cramer 2017). Platforms like
Facebook page and LinkedIn can help in spreading the word and helping with attracting
business owners (Pourmirza, Dijkman and Grefen 2017).
6.4 Sponsorship
Few of the key partners and sponsors of Brisbane Small Business Expo were Few of the
prestigious sponsors of Brisbane Small Business Expo are Small Business Expo, Barter Card,
Bendigo Bank, EC writing services, First Print Digital, Empowering events, Brisbane West
Chamber of Commerce and Australian Small Business Advisory Services. The Beauty Hub
can be included in the list of sponsors (Tafesse 2016).
6.5 Suggested improvements to the marketing and/or sponsorship arrangements
for the event
 Selection of effective and appropriate media channel like Facebook and LinkedIn for
spreading the awareness of the event and program schedule (Scheinbaum and Lacey
2015).

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 Effective media channel strategy will attract attendees, in return contributing the
improvement in the number of sponsors (Ostovar et al. 2016).
Recommendations:
 Concentrating the focus more to the business interaction rather than entertainment
fillers.
 Heavy advertisement practices by selecting the platform of social media.
 Planning or selecting the layout of the venue, which can direct the focus on the
exhibitor stands, rather than having completely separate areas (Wong, Rosenbaum and
Liu 2015).
Conclusion
Therefore the report can be concluded by the representation of success of the business event,
Brisbane Small Business Expo. The event was successful because of the decent number of
attendees and business owner participation. The event attracted entertainers and significant
sponsors for its potential. Although, the event was successful but few improvements in the
future can be incorporated like the design of the venue. The business event should have been
heavily advertised for the improving the number of participation and for encouraging the
growth of small local business owners.
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