Special events, mobile apps to be discussed at free VGCC small business seminars


The Warren County Campus of Vance-Granville Community College will soon host a pair of free Small Business Center seminars focused on innovative marketing techniques.

Generating Revenue with Special Events for Business Owners” will be held on Tuesday, April 5, from 1 until 4 p.m. “Mobile Apps for Small Business” will follow on that same day, from 6 until 9 p.m. Both are scheduled to meet in Building 4 (Room W4103) of the Warrenton campus.

Leading both seminars will be Renae Simon of Greensboro-based Step-by-Step Businessolutions. Simon has over 12 years’ experience in business consulting, marketing and advertising, facilities management, special events management and sales. She is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro. She is also a graduate of the REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship Action Learning) Institute and is a licensed facilitator of the REAL course.

In the first seminar, Simon will focus on the marketing and revenue generation aspects of planning special events like banquets, fundraisers, client meetings, customer appreciation days or trade shows. Attendees will learn how to develop sponsorship packages and proposals, fundraising plans, and create add-on event revenue generators. They will also discuss the importance of lead generation and ways to capture information during an event that can be utilized to increase customer base and marketing reach.  Attendees will take away from this seminar creative ways to market their events and to create value for their guests.

The second seminar will explore some of the different mobile applications available to small business owners. “Apps aren’t just about games and social interaction,” Simon said. “Some offer inexpensive alternatives to invoicing, scheduling and time keeping, marketing, inventory, organization, and time management.” These areas are key to the success of start-up to medium-sized companies. Participants will leave this seminar with written materials and links so that they can go home and download the applications that best suit their companies. Most apps can be used at a desktop or on the go.

For more information and to reserve a seat in one or both of these free seminars, contact Small Business Center director Tanya Weary at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3240.

Registration can be completed online at www.ncsbc.net/center.aspx?center=75530