Marketing Northwest Arkansas as an entrepreneurial hub

If you've spent more than a minute in Northwest Arkansas, you know it's the place to be. Unfortunately, it's often an uphill battle selling this idea to outsiders, but the proof is in the pudding: once people visit our community and spend a little time here, they get it.

Similarly, if you're remotely familiar with Northwest Arkansas, you know that our region attracts some of the very best and brightest for careers with Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Tyson Foods, J.B. Hunt Transportation and local outposts for hundreds of internationally-recognized Consumer Product Companies such as Kraft, Coca-Cola, Unilever and 3M. The caliber of these world-class companies make Northwest Arkansas an undiscovered gem for innovative people, ideas and cutting-edge development.

This October, Rogers will host the region's first Startup Weekend to bring developers, startup and dotcom enthusiasts, marketing gurus, graphic artists, legal minds and entrepreneurs together for a one-of-a-kind event. Startup Weekend is an intensive, 54-hour event held in cities worldwide to encourage and incubate business propositions and startup projects. Typically held in cities such as Seattle, Washington (where a recent Startup Weekend event was hosted at the Google offices), the events are hosted in areas known for their critical mass of technology infrastructure, emerging talent and entrepreneurial spirit.

Attendees will will descend upon the University of Arkansas Global Campus in Rogers for NWA Startup Weekend on October 2 – 4. Throughout the weekend, individuals with diverse backgrounds, skill sets and work/life experience pitch, tweak and solidify business propositions, with events often resulting in as many as half a dozen viable projects which teams may pursue
beyond the weekend. Attendees range from 35 to 200+ depending on location.

While a startup venture is the technical goal, many attendees attend for the opportunity to mingle and learn from others and for the intense experience, which may supplement their current career or support them in future endeavors. Many employers support the participation of their employees, understanding that the event stimulates innovation which may benefit the attendee’s current company.

The NWA Startup Weekend will be presented by Rockfish Interactive(www.rockfishinteractive.com) at the University of Arkansas Global Campus at the Arkansas World Trade Center in Rogers (http://globalcampus.uark.edu/). Tickets are $75 per person for the entire weekend (including meals) and are available at http://nwarkansas.startupweekend.org. A limited number of opportunities for companies desiring to meet and mingle with highly-motivated entrepreneurs in a dynamic, intimate setting are available through meal sponsorship for attendees. The Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce serves as a partner and catalyst in bringing this unique event to Northwest Arkansas.

To say the least, we can't wait for this meeting of the minds. Get your tickets, tell a genius you know to attend or simply follow event updates on Twitter: @NWAStartupWknd.

No, seriously - get your booth NOW for this event!

Ok, so we have repeatedly (http://rogerslowellchamber.blogspot.com/2009/05/ready-for-your-business-to-thrive.html and http://rogerslowellchamber.blogspot.com/2009/02/nwa-business-conference-expo.html) and perhaps even maniacally mentioned the Northwest Arkansas Business Conference & Expo scheduled for August 6. You know, you get it.

And while August is a long way off and may give you unpleasant thoughts of the end of summer and back-to-school time, you have to face the music: time is running out to participate in this fantastic event!  Admittedly, we are a bit biased since it is our event, but our enthusiasm is sincere.

The keynote and luncheon speakers are falling into place (promise, you'll love them!), the seminars are just about finalized, and all in all it is stacking up to be a phenomenal (and inexpensive) day with positive impact for business people throughout Northwest Arkansas and the state, whether a one-person shop or a 500 person team.  You must attend.

More importantly, however, the Expo portion of the event is just about full!  We are now sold out on all Class A, B and C booths... except the booths that come with a handful of remaining sponsorships!  There is just ONE Business After Hours sponsorship remaining ($1,500, includes microphone time and a prime Class A booth), THREE gold sponsorships ($1,000, includes a class A booth) and THREE silver sponsorships ($750, includes a class B booth).  

Additionally, we have a couple of session sponsorships remaining ($650, includes microphone time with 30 - 50 business people attending the session PLUS the opportunity to distribute information about your business).

Granted, it's part of our job (and our commitment to businesses of all sizes) to put on this event and sell booths and sponsorships.  Seriously, though, you will regret it if you do not showcase your business in the Expo portion of the event.  Tickets will be available up to the event day (www.nwabusiness.org), but jump now to grab a spot to highlight your business.

As Brian Solis states in this excerpt from his article "Fear Kills Businesses, Dead" on TechCrunch (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/21/fear-kills-businesses-dead/):

Businesses, and customers, do not stop making decisions—they’re just more discerning during volatile economic climates. But make no mistake, if you choose to stop vying for customer attention, the world will move ahead without you.

This is your time to vault in front of your competition, to earn rapid and sweeping visibility, for a fraction of the time and money that was required to excel during the “good days.”

Your rivals are retreating right now, so what are you going to do about it?

Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu advised in The Art of War:

When weak, feign strength…Attack him [your enemy] where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

Whoever inspires you, remember, tomorrow’s leaders are born, tested, and proven, today. This is your moment.

So, you'll be there with your product, your service, your business cards and your sales pitch, right?  See you at the Northwest Arkansas Business Conference & Expo on August 6!

Ready to stimulate the economy?

We have a theory at the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce. Prepare yourself: it is a little bit Pollyanna-ish. We honestly believe that local action can affect big change. Take the economy as a starting point: can we change it across America tomorrow? Probably not. Can we stimulate positive changes that help local businesses and, in turn, serve as the first steps toward national (and international) recovery? Absolutely.

Step 1: Good news. It's out there, but you have to listen carefully to find it with all the rhetoric and background noise. Here's a start: mortgage rates are lower than the nation has seen in decades, and can potentially place dollars in consumers' pockets resulting in spending, which could in turn jump start the economy. Need more good news to get your motor running?

Try this: we are seeing significant inquiries at the Rogers-Lowell Chamber and throughout the community related to small business start-ups, job creation and economic development prospects. Our region's growth may have slowed with the housing market crisis and other economic stressors, but Northwest Arkansas is still a growing, nationally-competitive place to do business (and enjoy life and raise a family). Case(s) in point:

1. Cryovac, Inc. - a subsidiary of Sealed Air Corporation in Rogers - announced 21 - 24 new jobs thanks to a business expansion last month, with a total economic impact for our community of more than $1.5 million.

2. Don's Cold Storage and Transportation in Rogers is adding more than 20 competitive jobs with an expansion representing more than $7 million in economic impact for our community.

3. Enformix Technology Services will move 40 jobs to Historic Downtown Rogers upon completion of upgrades to its new facility. The company is expert in IT strategy development and information technology, particularly in the field of long-term care.

4. NWA ranked #4 on Forbes list of best places for business and careers: http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/25/best-cities-careers-bizplaces09-business-places-intro.html. Make no mistake: the heading is Fayetteville, but one glance at the population listed makes clear that these are accolades for Northwest Arkansas, and every one of our sister cities in the region has cause to celebrate!

Don't misunderstand - it's still tough in the current economic climate, and many businesses are struggling and will continue to struggle well into the coming months. But it feels good to dwell on the positive for a moment, doesn't it?

Step 2: Marketing. Whatever your position, whatever your business - it's critical. The best analogy would be Promote or Die, to adapt a line from a Chamber long-termer. When the economy contracts and things are tight, it's human nature to curtail expenses, but for the good of your business, don't irrationally cut marketing, promotion and advertising expenditures. It has often been said that those who strike while the iron is hot or, in this case, advertise in a down economy while their competitors are cutting back, have the best opportunity to thrive.

If you find yourself and your business in a situation where you have to cut back, by all means don't hide in your cave. As members of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce or any other good chamber, you can still capitalize on dozens of free opportunities to market your business at no charge through business-building networking events. It will still require an investment on your part, but of time and not cash. That's time well well spent if it helps your business, isn't it?

Thanks for reading - share your good news, and be sure to connect with the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce to share your comments and feeback. Find us on LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=1823711) and Twitter (@RLACC) and give us your two cents!