The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce held its annual Business Expo on Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Valencia, where attendees could visit the booths and learn about over 80 local businesses and organizations.
As attendees visited the ballrooms and foyer during the free expo, each person received a stamp from a booth on their raffle entry, and they could then participate in raffles, including a surprise destination cruise for two.
“We’re using the space at the Hyatt, which they’ve been very generous … We’re just putting people in where we can fit in,” said Ivan Volschenk, president and CEO of the SCV Chamber of Commerce. “We have members who receive this spot as part of their membership.”
According to Volschenk, non-members could sign up for a spot, and the expo was then opened to the general community.
“We open [registration] four months in advance, so that gives people enough time to get their marketing materials, because you just don’t put an expo on and have everything at the table,” Volschenk said.
Raffle prizes included Lakers tickets and a gold necklace. Volschenk said more people donated prizes this year than ever before.
“They saw the value of marketing that we did, where once the winners were announced, we’d thank the businesses for donating. I think that helps in spreading the word of the business community, which is what the chamber’s job is,” Volschenk said.
Patsy Ayala, chair of the chamber’s Latino Business Alliance, reflected on the role the chamber plays in Santa Clarita.
“I want to thank everybody for coming here today, because this is an opportunity the Chamber of Commerce is bringing to Santa Clarita. We’re always happy to empower our business community,” Ayala said. “Today is a day of unity — you connect the businesses to bring people to know them. Please reach out to the Chamber of Commerce for the opportunity to network and empower your business to the maximum.”
Among those learning about the services offered in Santa Clarita was Rick Rodriguez, who recently started a commercial janitorial service business.
“This is my first time here. I started a business in Santa Clarita, and I wanted to get an idea for the field here, and it seems like there’s a lot of information to take in,” Rodriguez said. “I’m looking forward to learning about certain industries I don’t know much about, like clinics, and what they need and require and how I can service them, and pretty much where they are in the community.”
