Small businesses in the Tampa Bay region are hoping the Republican National Convention will be a financial boon. The 2012 Host Committee just published an online small business directory to help.
Florists and janitorial services, limousines and staffing agencies are among the 500 certified small businesses listed in the business network online directory.
But, some local vendors have yet to see any convention business come their way
Ken Jones, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Host Committee, said the small business directory should help. He plans to distribute it in a few weeks when all the delegates are selected.
“Who knows? If they have to have their hearing aid adjusted, if they need to go to a tailor, if they need to get their hair cut, if they need to get anything done,” Jones said, “We want them to use this small business directory to look up the local businesses who have signed up and therefore they can get some extra business.”
Jones plans to collect feedback from small businesses after the convention to gauge what worked and what needs improving.
“We have community action groups that are set up right now and we plan to stay in touch with our businesses once the convention is over for a period of time,” Jones said. “We’re going to encourage them to give us feedback so we can determine how successful were we?”
The Republican National Convention is 110 days away, August 27-30, 2012.
