That's a wrap! Small Business Week presented by TELUS Business

From October 16–20, we celebrated Small Business Week presented by TELUS Business! The Calgary Chamber, along with our incredible sponsors, partners, members and businesses from across the city, hosted five events over five exciting days, where small business owners and leaders were able to grow their networks and take in some hard-earned recognition from their peers and the broader business community.

As the title sponsor for the week, TELUS Business hosted activations at each event with giveaways and prizes for attendees, while the team shared information about their own Small Business Month initiatives, encouraged people to shop locally and offered advice and ideas on how TELUS Business can support operations in businesses of all sizes.

Small Business Week Kickoff

Day one on October 16 kicked off with our Small Business Week networking reception at National on 17th Ave. Thanks to TELUS Business and the event’s supporting sponsor, Chambers Plan, attendees were able to connect and relax while enjoying tasty appetizers and libations. The power of small businesses in Calgary, which make up over 95 per cent of all businesses in our city, was a clear topic of conversation, fuelling networks, partnerships and allyship as the night progressed.

Navigating Negotiation: Strategies for Success

The following evening, Gowling WLG hosted and sponsored our first panel of the week, Navigating Negotiation: Strategies for Success. This panel featured Elizabeth MacRae from Village Wellth, Greg Peterson from Gowling WLG and Joanna Shea from Negotiations Collective. They each brought different perspectives from their varied experiences, from business acquisitions to negotiating sports contracts, providing participants valuable ideas on how to negotiate with anyone. Attendees spent time networking over drinks and tapas while overlooking the city from the beautiful Gowling WLG offices.

Pride In Business 2SLGBTQ+ & Allies Networking Event

Mid-week the Calgary Chamber partnered with Pride In Business for the 2SLGBTQ+ & Allies Networking event presented by TD at the Fairmont Palliser. This event featured a drag and standup comedy performance from local queen Karla Marx, delicious treats and plenty of conversations with members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and allies that strengthened their networks and forged new connections.

Advancing Indigenous Entrepreneurs

On Thursday morning, we gathered at sunrise for the second panel of Small Business Week presented by TELUS Business, Advancing Indigenous Entrepreneurs. This panel featured two Indigenous entrepreneurs, Gregory John, who founded Four Peaks Business Development and technology start-up, Unimaize Technologies Inc., Melrene Saloy-EagleSpeaker, developer and owner of Native Diva Creations and Kara Thorvaldson who is the program manager at the Women Entrepreneur Knowledge Hub. The panelists shared their experiences with attendees as well as positive ways to support and advance Indigenous entrepreneurs. Thank you to our sponsors that made this event possible: Presenting sponsor The City of Calgary, thanking sponsor ATB, and supporting sponsors Alliance Trust and Chambers Plan.

40th Calgary Small Business Awards Gala

The week ended with a splash and was the night we had all been waiting for: the 40th Calgary Small Business Awards Gala. From sequins to gowns to tuxedos, attendees dressed in their best and waited in anticipation to hear the winners of the eight categories of the Calgary Small Business Awards. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners of the evening, but a special congratulations to Pekarsky & Co. who took home the connectFirst Credit Union Small Business of the Year Award!

The evening would not have been possible without our incredible sponsors including our reception sponsor Gowling WLG and our wine sponsor Alberta Blue Cross, and our supporting sponsors Aspen Films and RedPoint Media and our in-kind sponsor Negotiations Ninja.

The week was truly packed with events for all Calgarians, all of which offered impactful takeaways, networking opportunities and ideas to support and celebrate local small businesses. Although Calgary experienced cold temperatures and snow once the week came to an end, we are all still feeling the warm fuzzies that Small Business Week presented by TELUS Business brings to our city. Thank you to all the event sponsors, panelists, attendees and organizations who were involved and made this year’s Small Business Week a success, we are already looking forward to next year!