Skip to main content
Sales-focused Business Events

The story behind Small Business Expos.

Small Business Expos

Small Business + Jobs Expos were started in 2014 by Paula Brand. The Expos run one day, sales focused, Business and Jobs Expos open to all businesses and the general public, allowing people from all walks of life to buy and sell products and services, connect with thousands of local business owners, develop new partnerships and catch up on the latest business information.

Business and Jobs Expos - AUSBIZLINKS
Business Expos

About Ausbizlinks

Dennis Hall, Principal of Ausbizlinks, established the business in March 2000 – with a focus in the areas of online presence, promotion and marketing. We understand the frustrations that most businesses face when attempting to increase the effectiveness of their marketing – especially in growing their business and to build better business relationships. Our underlying philosophy is to put local businesses in control of their marketing – rather than trying to confuse them with complicated jargon and strategies that only a university graduate can understand.

Our dedicated team of expert and professional people, who live in the ever-changing and dynamic environment of 21st Century marketing, know what works and are at the forefront of marketing trends.

The addition of the Small Business +Jobs Expos to our stable of services is the next logical step for us to achieve our vision of becoming the leading advocate for the invisible businesses – mobile, micro, online, home-based and local businesses – that are one third of the small business community.

Our team is dedicated to your success!

The Business and Jobs Expos are the HERO BUSINESS EVENTS in Southeast Queensland. Local businesses are the cornerstone of our community, and we must work together to help and support each other to grow.

The aim of the Business and Jobs Expos is for economic outcomes, employment outcomes and educational/learning outcomes, as well as to build collaboration and hope for businesses and displaced people due to the residual and continuing impacts of the Covid pandemic and global economic pressures.

In Australia today, the market sector features approximately 150 trade shows each year. Very few trade shows (except for franchise shows) are
focused on broad (often neglected) small business sectors, and even fewer on small and medium sized business.

 

Post covid, only 5% of expos ran in Australia – we successfully delivered our program to support local businesses over the last two Covid years.

Nothing stops us from delivering our events!
These one-day “pop-up” events to enable business owners to meet, connect, learn, network and gain expert advice, discovering profitable business ideas along the way.

What the Small Business Expos have achieved in eight years:

  • Over $22 Million in new business sales leads generated
  • Close to 5000 small ­­­business owners have exhibited
  • More than 22,000 small business owners have engaged as trade table holders and/or attendees since 2014
  • Over 28,000 visitors have attended.
  • The largest local business to business sales focused expo program in Southeast Queensland
  • Engaged 380 Speaking Presenters providing Expo attendees with the latest and most up-to- date trends and information to help them grow their businesses.
  • Delivered skills transfers through our ‘’How To Sell From an Exhibition Stand’ Workshops prior to every Expo to over 3000 local business owners.
  • Supported 30 charities (our main charity is Rotary).
  • We donated $70,000 of free stands for struggling businesses in 2020 when we ran our expos during Covid
  • Supported by all levels of Government
  • Winner of numerous business awards

At the Business and Jobs Expos, business owners and professionals can

  • Develop business leads and new customers, build brand awareness and expand business opportunities.
  • Discover new ideas and new technology to help solve business owners’ challenges.
  • Gain invaluable industry knowledge and insights into larger markets both in Australia and internationally.
  • Network with industry peers and connect with suppliers, service providers, industry experts and Government specialist departments.
  • Connect with potential venture capitalists and investors to potentially help expand businesses.
  • Seek information from job support agencies and related businesses as well as employment opportunities

Collaborative Marketplaces

The Business & Jobs Expos are the HERO BUSINESS EVENTS in South East Queensland!

2023 is the year to consolidate and get grassroots businesses in our communities to rebuild and grow! These communities are where business owners live and work and their kids go to school. Small business is the cornerstone of our community and we must work together to help put the economy on the front foot again.

The opportunity which was first identified by Paula Brand is still as relevant today as it was in 2014 – in fact, it is probably more so! That opportunity is to create a series of one day events to enable a showcase for predominantly small and medium sized businesses to connect and grow.

Our one-day Expos act as “pop-up” events in South East Queensland, which enable business owners to meet, connect, learn, network, gain expert advice, and discover profitable business ideas.

The aim of the Business and Jobs Expos is for economic outcomes, collaboration and, most importantly, hope and support for businesses and people in our workforce that find themselves displaced – through no fault of their own.

Small Business in Australia

Small business plays a vital role in the Australian economy, with approximately 3.2 million small businesses employing 5.5 million Australians.

Small businesses contribute more than $380 billion to the economy. [Australian Government Research ATO 2017].

ASIC regulates many businesses that are ‘small proprietary companies’, which means a company with two out of these three characteristics:

  1. An annual revenue of less than $25 million,
  2. Fewer than 50 employees at the end of the financial year, and
  3. Consolidated gross assets of less than $12.5 million at the end of the financial year.

Small Business Matters in Australia

Of all Australian companies and businesses registered, 96% are viewed as small businesses with fewer than 20 employees.

Small businesses make a significant contribution to the Australian economy. They employ half of Australia’s workforce and make up one fifth of Australia’s gross domestic product. More than 2 million small businesses in Australia employ less than 19 people, accounting for 97 per cent of all Australian businesses by employee size, and there were 51,000 medium sized businesses, employing 20 to 199 employees, approx. 2.4 percent of all companies.

One of our main objectives with the Expos is to improve the position of small businesses and to provide them, not just with a promotional platform that is second to none, but also a voice in the wider business community and with our Federal, State and Local government bodies.

opportunity to help business owners

About the Small Business Expos

For those in business and seeking ways to generate a greater level of income, the Small Business Expos provide the opportunity help business owners to learn and increase the size and revenues for their business.

Small Business Expos Locations

2023

  • Moreton Bay
  • Gold Coast
  • Brisbane

There are no better events in South East Queensland that provide the opportunity to talk face-to-face with contemporaries and fellow business owners to end users across a broad range of business opportunities.

The Small Business Expos are vital business-to-business expos for small, medium and large businesses and brand owners.

The South East Queensland Business Expos recognize the many challenges that business owners face, from increased competition in Australia and internationally from online sources.

2024

  • Moreton Bay
  • Logan, Gold Coast
  • Ipswich, Redlands
  • Brisbane
  • Sunshine Coast (TBC)

Connect and Communication

  • With more than 8,000 businesses connecting each year and increasing steadily each year, our communications partnerships enable us to reach more than 66,000 business professionals across South East Queensland.
  • Our reach is in excess of 400,000 on social media & continues to grow each year.
  • The Small Business Expos has been embraced by the media and in 2018 was sponsored by Channel 9 and Channel Ten Regional Television Networks as well as Southern Cross Austereo Radio stations and in 2019 by 96.5 Family FM.
  • 1022 exhibitors participated in the Small Business Expos in 2019 and more than 8,000 attendees (majority business owners) connected with other business owners resulting in $7.5 million in business leads.
  • We did not give up in Covid. Nine expos were delivered over the past two Covid years, connecting 3500 business owners together.
  • It was decided in 2022 to host two large expos, Gold Coast and Brisbane. The Gold Coast Expo consisted of a record 305 expo stands with 1200 attending.
About Small Business Expos

Giving Back to the Community

Small Business Expos is committed to giving back to the community. We are especially proud of our relationship with Rotary groups across South East Queensland and have raised over $15,000 in funds for their community programs.

Paula Brand - Small Business Expos
The founder of Small Business Expos

Paula Brandstarted Small Business Expos in 2014

Paula is a passionate advocate for ‘invisible” small businesses (mobile, micro, online and homebased) which make up one third of the small business community and her 24 years of event and industry development experience across Queensland was instrumental in building the Expos to where they proudly sit today.

Paula has won a series of industry awards, including:

  • WINNER 2019 International Stevie Award – Small Business Champion
  • WINNER 2019 Gold Coast Women in Business Award – Small Business Chamption
  • WINNER 2017 Ambassador Small Business-Homebased Business Community – International Women’s Day – Women at Work Awards
  • WINNER 2017 Awardee of Merit – Gold Coast Women in Business Awards – Community Category
  • WINNER 2016 Empowered Biz Mums – Leadership Award

At the end of 2022 Paula decided it was time for her to pursue some of her other passions and sold the business to Dennis Hall, of Ausbizlinks, who also has a passion for local business and has vowed to take the Expos to even great heights.

Dennis Hall

Dennis Hall is The author of “If 70 Is The New 50, When Do I Get To Retire?”. He is a Micro Business Champion, Local Business Growth Strategist and Presenter

Dennis is a degree qualified marketer and has more than thirty years of management and executive management experience. He does what he does because his passion is to give people the ability to take control of their future. His philosophy is “Why work in a business that ties you down when you could just as easily work at something you love & enjoy your dream lifestyle”

In the words of the Small Business Expos Founder, Paula Brand, “Dennis is a top bloke, and I think he will do a great job delivering the Business and Jobs Expos this year. The Expo team of the last 8 years will be supporting him, and I (Paula) am having an expo stand at the Gold Coast Business & Jobs Expo – I can’t wait to see how Dennis will take the Small Business + Jobs Expos to the next level over the coming years.

If 70 Is The New 50, When Do I Get To Retire
Exhibitors/Attendees Since 2014
22,000
Charities Supported To Date
40
Value Of Sales Leads Generated Since 2014
22
Social Media Reach
400,000

Contact us for more Info

CONTACT US
Close Menu

Small Business Expos

Will get you exposure you need!

Ausbizlinks ABN: 95 576 449 776
Postal address: PO Box 913 North Lakes Qld 4509

T: (07) 30406432

E: sales@smallbusinessexpos.com.au