SYRACUSE — Now Central New York small businesses get their show in the spring. The Small Office Home Office (SOHO) small-business show is slated for April this year after holding down a fall spot on the calendar for 13 of its previous 14 iterations. It’s set for April 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. […]
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The Small Office Home Office (SOHO) small-business show is slated for April this year after holding down a fall spot on the calendar for 13 of its previous 14 iterations. It’s set for April 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at the Oncenter in Syracuse.
In a way, rescheduling the show — which caters to new or existing businesses with 30 or fewer employees — brings it back to its roots. The first SOHO took place in April of 1998. Subsequent versions were held later in the year, including the most recent show in October 2011.
But SOHO didn’t go on in October 2012. Steve Becker, owner and president of Clay–based Premier Promotions and SOHO show producer, opted not to hold it that month.
Becker made that decision after learning that the Central New York economic-development organization CenterState CEO planned to move its own Business Showcase to October — about seven months later than that show’s traditional slot.
“It didn’t make sense for us to do the SOHO show two weeks before the chamber show,” Becker says. “When it was announced that the Business Showcase would go into the fall, I didn’t have enough time to do a show in spring 2012.”
Becker says he worked with Business Showcase partner Galaxy Events to help bring in exhibitors for CenterState’s rescheduled show. Then he turned his attention back to the SOHO show late in 2012, ultimately deciding to bring it back in the spring of 2013.
Although they’re best held at different times in the year, CenterState’s Business Showcase and SOHO fill distinct niches in Central New York, Becker says.
“There’s no competition here,” he says. “The other show is a much broader stroke. SOHO is a different show, because it’s more focused on small-business owners, managers, entrepreneurs. It’s a lot different if you’re dealing with a company with thousands of people than if you have a company with 10 people on your payroll.”
Becker isn’t yet sure how the new date will affect SOHO attendance. Past shows have averaged between 800 and 1,000 people passing through the gates, with another 500 to 700 people staffing display booths. Previous shows have been filled with between 125 and 170 of those booths. The most recent show in 2011 had more than 130 booths.
Attendance will be free for anyone who prints or orders tickets before the show from its website, http://www.sohosyracuse.com. They will cost $5 at the door on the day of the event.
In addition, Becker is currently recruiting exhibitors. A space measuring 10 feet by 10 feet costs $595, or $545 for nonprofit organizations. Exhibitors registering after March 24 will have to pay a $25 late fee. More information is available by visiting the show’s website or by contacting Becker directly at (315) 622-2249 or steve@premierpromo.com.
“The exhibitors we’re looking at would have products, services, resources that are going to be focused on small businesses,” Becker says. “We will have small, medium, and large companies exhibiting, but they want to connect with small businesses.”
Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com