Building Partnerships – Veterans, Business, and Government

Welcome!

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in collaboration with other federal agencies and commercial partners, is excited to host the National Veterans Small Business Conference (NVSBC) from August 6-8 at the America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis, MO. This event is an extraordinary opportunity to grow your business and connect directly with Government Procurement Decision Makers (PDM) and business partners. NVSBC is VA’s largest nationwide conference and the premier government event designed to help Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) maximize opportunities to compete for and win new business. Over 4,000 attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Connect directly with procurement decision makers across government and commercial industry at:
  • 200 Business Requirement Sessions
  • Dining with Decision Makers Luncheons
  • More than 1,600 Networking Roundtables
  • Conference Receptions
• Learn in more than 200 training sessions specifically tailored for all stages of business growth
• Grow your business by building relationships with potential clients and business partners

New to the 2013 Conference is the inclusion of more than 25 large commercial companies that have supplier diversity programs and a commitment to the expansion of their VOSB supply base.

This Conference generates results!

• Last year, 52% of Government representatives connected with five or more small businesses
• 59% of previous attendees reported they received a positive return on investmentby attending the Conference

Who will be at the Conference?

Connect directly with over 4,000 attendees including:

• Over 300 Procurement Decision Makers dedicated to engaging VOSBs
  • Contracting Officers
  • Program Managers
  • Senior Leaders
• Commercial Customers interested in expanding their VOSB supply base
• Large Federal Contractors interested in engaging VOSBs as subcontractors
• Veteran-Owned Small Businesses
• Non-profit Organizations

What activities will take place at the Conference?

Participate in various engagement opportunities designed to enable VOSBs to develop relationships with potential customers and partners including:

• Business Requirement Sessions: learn about procurement opportunities in 2014-2015 directly from federal program managers and contracting officers, as well as commercial customers
• Dining with Decision Makers: share a meal and informal discussion with potential customers and partners seeking to engage Veteran businesses at networking breakfast and lunch tables hosted by PDMs and Senior Leaders
• Networking Roundtables: discuss your capability to address federal and commercial requirements with PDMs
• 2-Day Expo of over 400 Exhibits: connect and learn more about business capabilities and federal requirements at government and industry booths in the Expo Hall
• Conference Receptions: meet informally with customers and build relationships essential to successful business development
• Training Sessions: specifically tailored for all stages of business growth

What types of training session are available?

The training and business requirement sessions will be divided into three tracks specifically tailored for all stages of business growth including:

• Track 1: “Becoming Procurement Ready”
• Track 2: “Learn How to do Business with the Federal Government”
• Track 3: “How to do Business with Commercial Markets”

In addition, participate in hundreds of opportunities to Direct Connect with Procurement Decision Makers at Networking Roundtables and Receptions throughout the Conference.

Capture your Connections

This year, we will provide two important tools to help you stay connected to all of the great the business contacts you meet long after the Conference is over.

• Poken®: Using Poken®, a small USB device, attendees will no longer have to collect and keep track of business cards. Create your own digital contact including relevant capabilities and requirements information and your social network profiles and exchange that information with other attendees by simply touching their Pokens.
• VetGovPartner. Maximize your Conference experience by using VetGovPartner (VGP) to access the online community and connect capabilities to requirements, linkup with government procurement decision makers (PDMs), manage your Conference agenda, and discover subcontracting and teaming opportunities. More information about VGP coming soon!