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isie Ge isie isie isie isie An advantage of using Instagram is access to analytics. The event reached 763 accounts with 7,975 impressions and vendors reported a 10% increase in sales. Even though the school year is over, Santangelo says there are plans to run the Small Empire Trade Show in the summer and at Christmas. "As we developed branding and followers, we became obsessed and passionate. It didn't feel like just a school project anymore. It became about the vendors and their success." The culminating group assignment for the students in the event management program at Conestoga College in Waterloo, Ont., is to produce an event. Obviously, this year, the options were limited. But the four-person team of Dee Santangelo, Ashley Wilson, Jocelyn Edwards and Sean Harrison knew what they weren't going to do. "We couldn't fathom another Zoom event," says Santangelo. "We wanted it to be open to everyone and easy to access. Zoom needs a link and it's hard to make it public." That's when they decided to create the Small Empire Trade Show—a two-day event showcasing small businesses—on Instagram. Team members all had acquaintances who had started small businesses— jewelry, home décor and beauty products—during the pandemic, so they invited them (through Instagram, of course) to join the trade show. The show was publicized on Instagram for about a month prior to the April 10-11 event. Vendors were encouraged to also promote the event on their networks. And use the hashtag #supportsmallbusiness. "It was already very popular on Instagram and people want to know what to do to support them. We had an instant audience," says Santangelo. Vendor participation was free and each signed a contract. "It was a binding element to make sure vendors were committed and to ensure both parties were covered if anything was to go wrong within the show," says Santangelo. Each of the ten vendors had a 30-minute live chat, hosted by members of the Small Empire team, to discuss their product lines. Sales of products were done through the individual vendors. The agenda also featured a keynote speaker discussing online entrepreneurship. C AS E ST U DY: INSTAGRAM TRADE SHOW An advantage of using Instagram is access to analytics. The event reached 763 accounts with 7,975 impressions and vendors reported a 10% increase in sales. Even though the school year is over, The culminating group assignment for the students in the event at Conestoga College in Waterloo, Ont., is to produce an event. Obviously, this year, the options were limited. But the four-person team of Dee Santangelo, Ashley Wilson, Jocelyn Edwards and Sean Harrison knew what they weren't going to do. "We couldn't fathom another Zoom event," says Santangelo. "We wanted it to be open to everyone and easy to access. Zoom needs a link and it's hard to make it public." That's when they decided to create the Small Empire Trade Show—a two-day event showcasing small businesses—on Instagram. Team members all had acquaintances who had started small businesses— jewelry, home décor and beauty products—during the pandemic, so they The show was publicized on Instagram for about a month prior to the April 10-11 event. Vendors were encouraged to also promote the event on their networks. And use the hashtag #supportsmallbusiness. "It was already very popular on Instagram and people want to know what to do to Vendor participation was free and each signed a contract. "It was a binding parties were covered if anything was to go wrong within the show," says Santangelo. Each of the ten vendors had a 30-minute live chat, hosted by members of the Small Empire team, to discuss their product lines. Sales of products were done through the individual vendors. The agenda also The event team by Laura Bickle 12 | Ignitemag.ca | June 2021

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