Business expo takes wing

The annual festival lets businesses and consumers get better acquainted. And enjoy a tasty competition.

By SEUNG MIN KIM
Published June 10, 2005

Get ready to swap information about area businesses, be trained on various aspects of running a company, and, oh yeah, chomp on good old-fashioned barbecue wings.

The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce will hold the Chamber B2B (Business to Business) Business Expo and Annual Wesley Chapel Wingfest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Sand Pine Elementary School. The 3-year-old festival allows town residents to get acquainted with local businesses, organizers said.

"There are a lot of businesses in Wesley Chapel that are consumer-based businesses and work directly with residents," said festival chairwoman Alison Berke Morano. "The community grows so fast, not everyone has the chance to connect with everyone else."

Additions to the festival this year are seminars hosted by chamber members on topics such as mortgages, alternative career choices, family health, business promotion, tax laws, and photography.

For the kids, activities include spin art, as well as a plethora of raffle prizes, organizers said.

After hosting a booth at the expo last year, Wesley Chapel resident Sunsiray Turner saw the clientele for her business, Candy Bouquet, surge. And not only did the event boost customer traffic, Turner and her husband, Daniel, who co-owns the store, learned a few tricks and tips to transform Candy Bouquet from a home-based business to a storefront company.

"We sold a good amount of bouquets and other small items so overall, it was a success for us, and definitely a great day," Sunsiray Turner said. "A lot of people got to find out about the different things we do."

Organizers estimate that somewhere between 300 to 500 people flocked to the event last year, in which roughly 80 businesses took part.

Just outside the elementary school cafeteria where the expo will commence, festgoers will chow down on wings cooked by seven area restaurants and groceries in the annual Wesley Chapel Wingfest, now in its sixth year.

Back to reclaim their titles as the tastiest wing cooks are Fathead's Sports Grill and Outback Steakhouse of Wesley Chapel. Joining them in the quest to be the best wing provider in town are Publix, Sam's Club, Beef O'Brady's, Westshore Pizza IV, and Lexington Oaks Golf Club.

Admission to the expo is free, with wings on sale for 25 cents each.

"It's a family kind of day, and a fun day to meet the community," Morano said. "It's a Saturday afternoon, it's casual, and the businesses get to talk to each other. And, of course, the restaurants all like to come out and compete with their wings."

[Last modified June 10, 2005, 01:11:19]