Events

The Richland County Office of Small Business Opportunity (OSBO) will be hosting From Bonding to Bidding: How Surety Bonds Enhance Contracting Opportunities workshop on Thursday, January 30th beginning at 10:00AM.  The special guest facilitator is Peter C. Gibbs, founder and president of Foundation Surety & Insurance Solutions. During this workshop, participants will learn the ins and outs of surety bonds and how they can open doors to new business.  For more information and to register, click here...

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce will host the Gather and Grow: Downtown event on Wednesday, February 5th beginning at 8:00AM! The theme of this event is Handshakes and Headshots: The Value of Your Relationships.  Whether a firm handshake or confident headshot, every connection tells a story to strengthen your social capital and improve your ability to connect with the right people. Ron Harvey of Global Core Strategies & Consulting, LLC will be the featured speaker during this...

Midlands SCORE will present the Bookkeeping Basics for Small Business Owners workshop on Thursday, February 13th beginning at 1:00PM! This online webinar will help small business owners understand bookkeeping basics and ensuring your small business long term success! For more information and to register, click here to go to the Midlands SCORE webpage!

The South Carolina Department of Commerce will be hosting the 2025 SC Automotive B2B Supplier Matchmaker Event on Tuesday, February 25th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Greenville, SC. During this event, participants will have the opportunity to meet with leading OEMs and Tier 1 companies in the automotive industry!  There will also be one-on-one meetings (prescheduled) with top automotive industry decision makers, access to educational sessions and a meet and greet reception, and more! For more information...

The South Carolina Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will be hosting the Free AI Project Tools for Small Businesses hybrid workshop on Tuesday, March 11th beginning at 4:30 PM in Hartsville, SC! The special presenter for this workshop is Amy Bashor, Founder and CEO of Standing Pines RV Resort and Campground in Hartsville.  During this workshop, participants will learn about free AI tools that small businesses can use.  For more information, click HERE to go to the...

The City of Columbia's Office of Business Opportunities will be hosting the Foundations for Success: Building and Growing Your Small Business workshop on Wednesday, March 12th beginning at 10:00AM at the Earlewood Park Community Center! Tosha Dash of S.H.E. Dreams Consulting will provide insight and resources to female entrepreneurs and small business owners on how they grow their small business!  This event is free but registration is required.  For more information and to register, click here to...

The Richland County Office of Small Business Opportunity (OSBO) will be hosting their 2025 Business Academy, Finance Forward: Unlocking Access to Capital for Your Business on Thursday, March 20th beginning at 10:00AM! During this conference, participants will hear from representatives from Capital Funding Solutions, SC Community Loan Fund, CommunityWorks, and Security Federal Bank on tools and resources to receive funding for your small business! Registration is open and lunch will be provided.  For more information and to...

The South Carolina Association of Government Purchasing Officials (SCAGPO) will be hosting their Reverse Trade Show in Lexington and North Charleston, SC in March and April! This is a great opportunity for small businesses to meet with agency procurement professionals to do business with their respective agencies!  The dates and locations are as follows: March 25, 2025 - Lexington Municipal Complex, 111 Maiden Lane, Lexington, SC 29072 April 23, 2025 - Charleston Area Convention Center,...

The Benedict College Women's Business Center will be offering free webinars for the month of April.  these webinars will be held beginning at 2:00PM via Zoom.  For more information and to register, click on one of the webinar titles.  Here are the webinars for April: April 1 - Basic Financial Literacy for Business Owners April 3 - Defining Your Ideal Customer April 17 - How to Avoid Underpricing When Starting Out For more information, feel free to contact...

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce's Gather and Grow presents Harnessing AI for Sales and Marketing: Practical Tools to Drive Efficiency & Effectiveness on Wednesday, April 2nd beginning at 8:00AM at the Heyward Career Center. The guest speaker is Alex Moore, Senior Partner of Stratagon will provide tools and resources to attendees on artificial intelligence (AI).  For more information and to register, click HERE to go to the Chamber's events page!