National Veteran Small Business Conference

The Department of Veterans Affairs is hosting this event on August 15-18th, 2011, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana being assisted by Halfaker and Associates LLC. The largest nationwide conference of its kind, the National Veteran Small Business Conference provides Veteran-Owned and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs and SDVOSBs) an opportunity to learn, network and market their businesses.

At this year’s conference, we are expecting 4,000 leaders from various VOSBs, SDVOSBs, large contractors and Federal agencies as well as Veterans from the New Orleans area to participate. This year’s event is composed of three venues:

• Small Business Conference – Attendees will participate in training sessions on a variety of topics including finance, compliance, business development, marketing, strategy, contract management, human resources, technology, and program management.
• Exhibit Hall – Leaders from Federal agencies, VOSBs, SDVOSBs, and large businesses will have the opportunity to network with each other in a 500+ booth exhibit hall and through one-on-one matchmaking sessions.
• VA Open House – Veterans from both the conference and local community are invited to join us to learn and experience the wide range of resources available to the Veteran community

Here are several reasons you should attend this year's event:

1. Detailed 2012 and 2013 acquisition forecasts from the VA and other Federal agencies
2. A new approach to matchmaking that focuses on connecting Veteran-owned business leaders, large prime contractor leaders, and Government leaders together rapidly and effectively using innovative technology
3. A multi-track, training curriculum focused on teaching the key skills and sharing key forecasts for new businesses, emerging businesses, and Veteran leaders
4. More than 50 new training and informational sessions, focused on making Veteran-owned small businesses more competitive
5. Connect with over 3500 leaders within the government contracting community through receptions, a 500+ booth Expo Hall, and VA Open House which will showcase great services available to Veterans and their families