Look Ahead to the 2018 Small Business Conference in New Orleans

What can you do to make the best event there already is at bringing together government agencies and both large and small businesses for education, information-sharing, market research, and relationship-building even better?

You make it bigger, of course!

2018 SBC

The 2018 SAME Federal Small Business Conference for the A/E/C Industry will be co-located in New Orleans, Oct. 31-Nov. 2, with the Department of Veterans Affairs National Veterans Small Business Engagement. While NVSBE will continue to be structured to retain a focus of enabling its procurement decision-makers to connect with veteran-owned businesses in particular, participants of both events will be able to freely attend any activity taking place across the three days—really increasing their return-on-investment.

The 2018 SAME Federal Small Business Conference for the A/E/C Industry will be co-located in New Orleans, Oct. 31-Nov. 2, with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs National Veterans Small Business Engagement.

What can attendees expect for 2018? SBC has grown more than 60 percent in the last five years and, with it headed back to New Orleans for 2018, will again be the ONE conference where small businesses can grow their presence in the federal architecture, engineering, and construction marketplace; where large businesses can engage with the largest range of potential subcontracting and teaming partners; and where government agencies can conduct above-board networking and market research to see what capabilities and services exist in the small business arena as they map out their acquisition strategy for the years ahead.

The 2017 SBC reached 2,554 attendees, which is up from 1,653 attendees as recently as 2013. Co-locating the 2018 NVSBE is expected to bring the overall attendance to over 3,000 and create even more opportunities for companies and agencies to network, learn and grow.

2018 SBC Highlights

More than 3,500 attendees, which include the top public and private sector leaders in the engineering, architecture, construction, environmental sustainability and facility management industries.

Representatives from numerous federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Small Business Administration, Department of Energy, General Services Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and more.

Over 300 exhibitors from across the A/E/C industry and federal government.

Tailored networking events and partnering opportunities.

Business Opportunity Briefings that help attendees learn about where agencies will be awarding contracts in the future and what type of support they will need.

Unlimited market research opportunities that provide insight into what government requirements are and the services and capabilities that are out there.

Education sessions that offer professional development credits and help inform small business leaders on how to compete in federal acquisition, whether they are new to the marketplace or an experienced firm.

Featured Speakers, Linda Bernardi, Former Co-Lead of IBM’s Watson and the Author of The Inversion Factor and Provoke; and The Honorable Lucian Niemeyer, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Energy, Installations & Environment)


Attend, Learn, Exhibit & Sponsor

Attend: The SAME 2018 SBC promises to be the best small business event ever, and new this year, we are co-locating with the NVSBE! Get information on upcoming A/E/C Small Business procurement opportunities and meet teaming partners and mentors to help you succeed!

Learn: Learn from small business experts, seasoned in federal work, as they share best practices, innovative ideas and insights on entering the federal marketplace, procurement strategies, marketing and business development, and navigating the rules and regulations once you’re in. (The Call for Presentations closed June 22; the educational program schedule will be available this summer.)

Exhibit: Jump on the opportunity to find the right small business teaming partners. Exhibiting at the 2018 SBC gets you access to the attendees in a setting that is just right for networking.

Sponsor: Showcase your support of small business and SAME with an opportunity to reach an audience of more than 3,000 decision-makers. There are sponsorship options to meet the budgets of large and small companies.

◊◊◊

For more information, visit www.samesbc.org. Follow #SAMESBC18 for updates.

Questions about exhibiting or sponsoring? Contact Kelly Dawson, Exhibit Operations & Sales Manager, at kdawson@same.org or 703-549-3800 Ext. 111, or reach the Exhibits Team at exhibit@same.org.

Look back to the 2017 SBC: Photos | Presentations | #SAMESBC | Event Recap