Surrey LIP at seventh annual DIVERSEcity Entrepreneur & Small Business Fair

Surrey Local Immigration Partnership will be at the seventh annual DIVERSEcity Entrepreneur & Small Business Fair, scheduled to take place on October 18, 2023, at Surrey City Hall. Held during Small Business Week, this event promises to be a dynamic platform that will bring the knowledge and tools to help grow one’s small business.

Newcomers face countless barriers to employment, so it’s no surprise then that many newcomers turn to self-employment and entrepreneurship after arrival, with higher rates than Canadian-born people. Statistics show that 10.8 per cent of self-employment Canadians are immigrants, versus 7.5 per cent who are born in Canada.

“This event is set to benefit the community and entrepreneurship society by offering a platform for diverse businesses, including immigrant, francophone, and BIPOC entrepreneurs, to showcase their products, access resources, and gain valuable insights through tradeshow, marketplace, panel discussions and the business pitch competition,” said Florence Kao, DIVERSEcity’s Program Coordinator, Self-Employment and Entrepreneur Program, and event organizer.

At the DIVERSEcity Entrepreneur & Small Business Fair, attendees will be treated to an event that blends the tradeshow experience with networking opportunities.

Event Highlights:

1. Tradeshow of exhibitors: offering business, government and immigrant services.
2. DIVERSEcity Business Pitch Competition: for immigrant and BIPOC entrepreneurs – Dragons’ Den style! Our judging panel will select three winners after the live pitch competition.
3. DIVERSEtalks panel discussion: who will provide inspirational tips on the successes and challenges of starting and expanding a small business. Moderated by immigrant champion Nick Noorani, our panellists include Viridiana Perez, CEO & Co-founder, NANOSentinel Technologies; Shobna Kannusamy, Founder & Principal Coach, Soirette Coaching & Consulting and VJ Terzic, Founder, MOST Connected Consultancy.
4. Local entrepreneur marketplace: a unique opportunity for individuals from various cultural backgrounds to showcase their businesses and products in a pop-up sales event format.

Event Details:
Date: October 18, 2023
Location: Surrey City Hall, 13450 104 Avenue, Surrey, BC
Format: Open to public
Time: 3–7 pm
FREE

Come talk to us at our booth! Get your tickets today.

Special thanks to Discovery College, The Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique (SDECB), Vancouver Community College, BDC, BMO and Surrey Digital Printing for sponsoring this event.

Author: SurreyLIP