Naples Chamber members make connections at Expo

Local businesses used everything from a car to a dog to draw attention to their booths Tuesday at the Connections Expo.

The annual event, organized by the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, drew hundreds of members to the Naples Grande Beach Resort in North Naples to learn about local products and services.

The chamber has held the business-to-business trade show for more than 20 years. More than 75 companies, most of them chamber members, signed up to be exhibitors this year.

One of the newest members showcasing its products, Carter Fence, brought along a big, friendly hound, Ranger, who sported a bandanna with the company's name on it. 

With help from his daughter, Kendra, owner Ken Carter said he's taking his marketing in a new direction with more face-to-face networking. That's why he joined the chamber after being in the fencing business for 28 years. As a member he hopes to land more repeat business from larger commercial clients.

His philosophy in the past has been to "let the business come to me," he said, adding he'd mostly relied on the Yellow Pages and word-of-mouth to bring in new clients, primarily homeowners. 

Less than an hour into the expo, Carter felt good about the connections he'd already made. 

"We got some good contacts," he said. "I guess that's what it's all about coming here." 

Another exhibitor, Slidr, showed off one of its flashy cars. The company offers a free app-based transportation service when a destination is a bit too far to walk to, but a little too close to call a cab.

Winston White, a Slidr salesman, said he was nervous driving the car into a service elevator and then navigating it to its exhibit spot on the second floor.

"I was thinking the floor was going to give," he said.

Slidr's service is supported by the advertising on its cars. The service arrived in Collier County in March with three cars and will double its fleet for season to serve more areas such as Mercato and Waterside Shops, White said. 

"Our business will live or die by local business," he said.

That's why White thought it was important to be at the expo. Within a half-hour, he'd made five or six great contacts, he said.

"It's paid dividends already," White said. 

The expo includes a best booth competition. Some businesses went all out for the contest. The prize? A waiver of the booth fee.

Vicki Tracy, executive director of sales at The Arlington retirement community in Naples, and a handful of co-workers dressed in sequined gowns and wore flashy necklaces and feathered boas, topping off their outfits with tinsel wigs to reflect a "live brightly" theme. She hoped to win business and the best booth prize — and she did both.

"If you're going to come, come to play," she said. "If not, don't come."

What Tracy likes best about the expo, she said, is that it attracts heads of companies, allowing her to network with top executives who are the ones who can get business done. 

"I love our chamber," she said. "It's not like any other chamber." 

Attendance at the expo has been growing. From 2014 to 2016, it rose 28 percent, said Jacqueline Woodring, the chamber's director of events and programs. More than 850 attended last year. 

Advance sales were strong this year, with more than 600 tickets purchased. But the final count of attendees to the four-hour event wasn't in Tuesday afternoon, as walk-ins continued to mosey up to the registration desk.