May 2, 2005

For more information, contact: Kimberly Kreider (901) 333-4023

Speed Dating for Businesses
Written by Brenda J. Rayner

Are you ready to meet potential business partners at the Tennessee Business Matchmaking event? Tennessee Business Matchmaking is a series of business-to-business matchmaking conferences offered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Its purpose is to match small and diversity businesses with federal, state, and local government agencies and large corporations that have actual contract opportunities. If you’re a small business owner with the capacity to meet the challenges of doing business with government agencies and large corporations, you need to get a head start before the matchmaking event.

The Tennessee Small Business Development Center in cooperation with the TN Dept. of Economic and Community Development has prepared a workshop to get you ready to participate. The 90-minute workshop includes information on registering with the Central Contractor Registry Database, identifying your United Nations Standard Product and Service Codes, and obtaining a DUNS number. All of those are required before you can register for the event. Participants will also get an overview of the Business Matchmaking process in order to prepare for the event.

The last of three conferences in Tennessee will be June 29 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis, TN. Seller Registration for the Memphis/West TN event begins on May 1 and runs through May 31.

West TN Pre-Registration Workshops will be held in the following locations:
 

Somerville	May 9 from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, 107 West court Square, Somerville, TN 38068. Call Mike Border at (901) 465-8690 or Mark Taylor at (901) 526-9300.
Jackson	May 10 from 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce, 197 Auditorium Ave, Jackson, TN. Call Charles Roth at (731) 423-2200.
Memphis	May 11 from 9 a.m. – Noon at the City of Memphis Renaissance Business Center 555 Beale Street, Memphis, TN 38103. Call Yolanda Handy at (901) 333-5085.
Jackson	June 6 from 10 a.m. – Noon at the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce, 197 Auditorium Ave, Jackson, TN. Call Charles Roth at (731) 423-2200.

There is no charge for the workshop. A $5 CD will be made available which recaps the instructions and offers tool and resources for getting the information on your company necessary to register.