Business

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Entrepreneurs ecstatic about making contacts

By: Martin Cash

21/10/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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Premier Greg Selinger speaks to business leaders at the official launch of Centrallia on Tuesday.

THE official launch of Centrallia 2010 on Tuesday attracted serious star power including the new premier and the president of the French organization that developed the small business speed-dating conference concept 20 years ago.

Designed to be the signature business conference attached to the Manitoba Homecoming 2010 festivities, organizers are already talking about the two-day Winnipeg event beginning Oct. 20, 2010, as being the most significant business conference ever held here.

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Organizers of Centrallia -- spearheaded by co-chairs Mariette Mulaire, president of the Winnipeg bilingual trade agency ANIM, and Dave Angus, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce -- seem to have already co-opted the entire business community, as many were present for Tuesday's splashy affair.

The unique conference concept features hundreds of pre-arranged one-on-one meetings among decision-makers from small- and medium- sized businesses from around the world.

Ken Blanchard, author of the One Minute Manager and other business motivation books, has been confirmed as a featured speaker.

The secret to its success -- the events have been held around the world for 20 years -- is its proprietary match-making software. Participants fill out questionnaires about who they are and what they are looking for and the software links them up with the most appropriate potential partners for head-to-head meetings.

"It's like being a kid in a candy store," said Emile Chartier, a senior sales executive with Winnipeg's Labels Unlimited, who attended a similar event in Quebec City in 2008.

He said the Winnipeg commercial label company secured all sorts of business from new customers in France, Quebec, Newfoundland and the United States from the Quebec City event and continues to develop contacts that might materialize into more sales.

Gary Brownstone, director of the Eureka Project, the University of Manitoba's business incubator, said people rave about their successes at Quebec City or other events of its type.

"The enthusiasm people have expressed so far is an indication that the local community will be behind us." Mulaire said. "Now we have to spread the word to more of the businesses that could really profit from this."

She said early registrations from the local community will help attract businesses from around the world.

Organizers are hoping to get at least 500 businesses registered, with about one-third of them coming from this region.

Dave Angus said the idea that Centrallia might be a recurring event in Winnipeg is already being discussed. "We host international delegations all the time and it's frustrating to me because they always invite us to the big annual trade show in their city and we have nothing. If we can make this successful who knows, maybe we could do this every two or three years."

Angus, who is on the boards of Canadian and U.S. national chamber associations, said both groups are enthusiastic about sending delegations. "It will allow their members to get in front of potential customers from around the world without leaving North America.

"It's really a unique opportunity. They see that."

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 21, 2009 B4

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