The 2023 JMU SWaM Vendor Fair is the local Small Business, Women- and Minority-Owned Business Vendor Networking Event of the year!

Tuesday, August 1st 2023, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – at the James Madison University Festival & Student Center Ballroom

Information for Vendors

The SWaM Vendor Fair will offer a wealth of contacts for marketing your goods and services and provide an opportunity to make personal contact with some of the 600+ JMU departmental buyers. The event is scheduled to take place at the James Madison University Festival Center on Tuesday, August 1st 2023. The morning will begin with a networking luncheon to meet with other SWaM vendors and the JMU Procurement Services buyers. As the fair gets underway in the afternoon, you’ll meet with many JMU departmental buyers and faculty as well as numerous buyers from other state, local, and private organizations.

Event Theme:“Back to the Future”
SWaM Vendor Fair Table Registration: $75

Register on the Event Website:https://www.jmu.edu/procurement/vendor-fair.shtml

Information for Buyers

Small, Women-, and Minority-owned (SWaM) vendors from our local area and across the state will be on hand to talk about the goods and services they can provide to JMU and other state agencies.

Please come to meet them from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm at the James Madison University Festival & Student Center Ballroom and discover new opportunities for your purchasing dollars. This is an excellent opportunity to develop new supplier relationships or strengthen existing relationships with personal contact.

Parking is available at the Festival & Student Conference Center.

All buyers or parties from any organization wishing to visit the fair from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm are welcome to attend FREE of charge.

SBDC Day is a national celebration of the positive impact America’s Small Business Development Centers have on America’s small businesses. Join in a range of special events and offers on March 15.

The Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center is please to be partnering with the Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship on this annual event!

WHAT IS THE WOMEN IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK (WEW) SHOWCASE?

In celebration of Global Women in Entrepreneurship Week, the Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship is organizing a showcase to highlight local female entrepreneurs from throughout the Shenandoah Valley. At this event, participants will be able to showcase products and/or services, network with other entrepreneurial leaders, all while enjoying filling appetizers and sipping on wine.

In partnership with Women for Madison, Shenandoah Community Capital Fund, Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center, and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce, we aim to bring the JMU community and local community together to support female-led companies and learn from their stories.

WHEN AND WHERE IS THE SHOWCASE?
The WEW Showcase will take place from 5 PM – 7:30 PM on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 located in the Festival Conference and Student Center Grand Ballroom.

The schedule will be as follows:

  • 5 – 6 PM: Open Exhibition. Meet the business owners, learn about their products, offerings, and their story!
  • 6 – 6:30 PM: Keynote Address from Guest Speaker
  • 6:30 – 7:30 PM: Additional Exhibition and Networking time with light refreshments

HOW DO I BECOME A VENDOR? — There will be a vendor fee of $30. Register HERE.

SETUP & PARKING — Load in will happen between 3 pm – 5 pm, and participants may pull up at the curb to unload merchandise. Parking Lots C12, D3, and R4 will be available for all vendors, partners, and attendees.

An 8′ table and a seat will be provided for each booth. If you need additional seating and/or a table, please email us at gcfe@jmu.edu. A floor plan layout and more information will be provided around mid-September.

Wednesday, March 16, 2022 marks the 6th Annual #SBDCDAY, a national, collective day to “celebrate and promote the impact America’s Small Business Development Centers have on the success of our nation’s dreamers, innovators, and doers.”

Area high school FBLA clubs recently participated in a business planning simulation sponsored by the JMU College of Business and the SVSBDC.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 marks the 5th Annual #SBDCDay, a national, collective day to “celebrate and promote the impact America’s Small Business Development Centers have on the success of our nation’s dreamers, innovators, and doers.” Nearly 1,000 SBDC centers across the country and the hundreds of thousands of clients they serve will join in sharing […]