By Bonnie Adams , Managing Editor
Westborough – The 26th annual Corridor Nine Area Chamber of Commerce Business Expo will be held Wednesday, April 5, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel, 5400 Computer Drive, Westborough.
In 1991, the chamber launched the business expo as a combination mini expo with a Business After Hours, with a dozen exhibitors participating, according to Karen Chapman, the chamber’s president.
Since then, the expo has grown into such a respected event and one of the biggest of its kind in the region, that chamber officials are again expecting over 125 businesses to participate and over 1,300 visitors to attend.
Businesses are expected from a wide array of industries including financial services, health and fitness, nonprofits, golf courses, and retail.
“We have businesses coming from all over Worcester County and the 495 region,” Chapman said. “It’s really the flavor of New England – a great mix of small and large companies, and municipalities.”
“We also have many more restaurants who have signed up that will be offering samples,” she added.
The chamber has also sent out over 5,000 invitations to business leaders across the region including Worcester, the Metrowest area and I-495 corridor.
“It’s a great way to do business to business networking as well as business to consumer,” Chapman said.
“Throughout our history, there have been three members of the local business community that have been in the show since our inception,” she noted, “the Doubletree Hotel as the hosting venue and The Willows at Westborough and Westborough Savings Bank, now known as Avidia Bank.
“And we are so grateful to all of our sponsors including Harvard Pilgrim Health Care who again will be the presenting sponsor,” she said.
Other sponsors include: Platinum – Robert Half; Hosting – Doubletree by Hilton; Marketing – Penta Marketing; Media – Community Advocate, Worcester Business Journal, Metrowest 495 Biz, WSRS 96.1, and WTAG 580/94.9; Supporting – Fletcher Tilton PC, Attorneys at Law, Mark’s Moving & Storage, Middlesex Savings Bank, Reliant Medical Group, Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital and Worcester Regional Hospital.
There will be plenty of free parking available but because a large crowd is expected a shuttle service will also be in place for the convenience of attendees.
Admission to the event is free; all that is required, Chapman said, is a business card.
For more information, visit the chamber’s website at www.corridornine.org. A listing of participating businesses will be listed there and on communityadvocate.com as the date approaches.