Time is something small business owners are often short of and that's what an expo in Auckland acknowledges next week.
Bringing together around 200 exhibitors with business products and services under one roof, the Small Business Expo aimed to provide a time-efficient opportunity for business owners to work on -
rather than in, their business - said organiser Sarah Trotman.
"We set out to specifically design the expo to make it easy for them to find solutions to the resourcing and capacity issues they often have to deal with," she said. "It's a one-stop-shop for anything and everything from free business planning advice and mentoring through to hearing a range of inspirational speakers at the seminar series."
More than 3000 business owners have pre-registered for the three-day event which opens at the ASB Showgrounds on Wednesday.
Last year's inaugural expo attracted more than 7000.
Minister of Small Business Lianne Dalziel said the expo was a highlight for the sector.
"We sometimes forget many of New Zealand's innovators and entrepreneurs can be found in our SMEs and most of our leading-edge products were created by small business owners," she said.
Keynote speakers at the seminar include Annah Stretton, Ross Harvey, Peter Bassett and Alasdair Thompson.
One-stop shop
* The Small Business Expo offers seminars, business mentoring, networking opportunities, special deals on products and services for small businesses.
* May 10, 11, 12, 9am - 4pm. Late night Thursday until 8pm.
* ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane.
* Entry price: $20
