- October 13, 2024
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Numerous pro and college football team names were on display at the Tradeshow Tailgate Business Expo, while the businesses present spanned Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Yet everyone still found a common goal at the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance event, which was held Sept. 19 at Robarts Arena.
Jordan Sebastiano of Servpro said he enjoyed the family-like atmosphere, as different businesses mingled before the doors opened to the public.
The expo brought together more than 65 businesses and has consistently drawn 300 to 400 attendees annually, said Brittany Lamont, president and CEO of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.
Although the expo is now in its 15th year, it featured an "East Meets West" theme until 2023, when the tailgate concept was introduced.
Lamont said after participating businesses embraced the theme last year, the business alliance were eager to bring it back for a second time.
Business owners said they were pleased with the engagement as attendees traveled the room, filling out "bingo" cards for the chance to win Southwest Airlines tickets, and to try activities and food samples.
"I think they do a good job of intertwining everybody at this one in particular, with the bingo cards and the little incentives to go intermingle with all the other owners," Sebastiano said.
"It was amazing to see it," said Cindy Garren, a teacher with Kid Potential. "We didn't expect to have as many people as we saw here, and we had a lot of activity come by our table... and we had a lot of people that were really interested in knowing what we offer."