Taste of Conway opened its doors Thursday, Oct.9, giving the community a chance to sample some of the city’s best food and take part in the annual Conway Business Expo.

The event, held at the Conway Expo Center, featured over 100 local businesses and 20 participating businesses. 

The Conway Area Chamber of Commerce hosts multiple events that help small-business owners form strong networks with customers and business owners. 

The Chamber is a great resource that builds successful businesses and strengthens the local community. 

October brings one of its main events, the Conway Business Expo — considered the largest business-to-business networking event. 

It offers opportunities for business owners to network and exhibit their organizations and products to a diverse audience. 

This year, the event held 500 attendees. 

Mary Margaret Satterfield, director of events for The Chamber, explained that the Conway Business Expo benefits not only local business owners but also the community as a whole. 

“This full-day event is a great opportunity for people to meet and talk with local businesses, especially with college students, who might be looking to get hired at some point,” Satterfield said.

Walking around the booths in the Community of Conway, you have a chance to discover new entrepreneurs or small businesses emerging, and this event showcases key networking tools for success within the community. Hanna Johnson, Rhea Lana’s representative, shared how the company operates and its insides. 

“We are a children’s consignment event; we host twice a spring and fall sale, where the community has the opportunity to resell their children’s used items,” Johnson said. 

The Taste of Conway is the final closure of the day-long Expo Business event. It brings an experience to the community by providing an opportunity to connect with local businesses and sample their offerings. It features a variety of food industry members, including restaurants and caterers.

“This annual event allows restaurant owners who are Chamber members to participate for free, and share the experience by providing sample food,” Satterfield said. 

The heart of these locally driven events is the community and customers, who provide feedback and engage in conversations about new and established names in Conway’s restaurant and food space. Ellen Smith, an attendee, expressed how she enjoyed spending time with a friend while supporting local vendors at the expo. 

“I was looking for fun adult activities, and Taste of Conway had some great local booths,” Smith said. “My favorite this year was Las Delicias, it was very good. I am looking forward to visiting the actual shop.” 

Taste of Conway and the Business Expo wrapped up the day by successfully highlighting the local commerce and the strong entrepreneurial spirit Conway possesses.

The event connected residents, small-business owners, and local entrepreneurs, continuing to serve a valuable scenario to strengthen the local economy and showcase Conway’s diverse business community.