Small Business Week

BDC Small Business Week is a national celebration of Canadian entrepreneurs and their contribution to Canada’s economy. The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has been organizing Small Business Week for 36 years.[1] It takes place every year during the third full week of October. Events held during the week bring together entrepreneurs—and prospective entrepreneurs—at conferences, workshops, luncheons and trade fairs across Canada.[2] The goal is to provide them with opportunities to learn, network, share ideas and socialize with their peers.[3]

History

Small Business Week began in 1979 when the branches of the Federal Business Development Bank (as BDC was then known) in British Columbia’s Lower Fraser Valley organized a week of small business management training sessions for entrepreneurs. They called the initiative Small Business Week.[4] Employees in British Columbia repeated the experiment the following year and, in 1981, Small Business Week was officially launched nationwide.[4]

Impact

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and local chambers and boards of trade across Canada[5] collaborate with BDC on organizing Small Business Week events.[6] Over the years, other Crown corporations and large companies have also participated as sponsors.[7] Each year, hundreds of activities across Canada attract thousands of business people to Small Business Week.[3] Small Business Week has been a registered trademark of the Business Development Bank of Canada since 1986.[8]

Theme

Each year Small Business Week has a theme reflecting the challenges entrepreneurs face at the time.[9] Small Business Week 2015 takes place October 18 – 24 under the theme: Knock down the barriers. Dare to grow.[1] A national events calendar is maintained by BDC to publicize local events and inform entrepreneurs about what’s happening in their area.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 Small Business Week's official website. http://www.bdc.ca/EN/small_business_week/Pages/about_small_business_week.html
  2. ↑ Industry Canada. http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ich-epi.nsf/eng/02129.html
  3. 1 2 Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/business/smallbusiness/article/874675--what-is-small-business-week
  4. 1 2 Small Business Week’s official website. http://www.bdc.ca/en/sbw/pages/historique.html
  5. ↑ Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. http://www.btmm.qc.ca/en/index.aspx?p=3402 Retrieved 2012-10-10
  6. ↑ Didsbury & District Chamber of Commerce. http://www.didsburychamber.ca/sbw-gala.php Retrieved 212-10-10
  7. ↑ Superior North Community Futures Development Corporation. http://www.sncfdc.com/print.asp?pgid=12
  8. ↑ Canadian Intellectual Property Office. http://www.ic.gc.ca/app/opic-cipo/trdmrks/srch/vwTrdmrk.do?lang=fra&status=OK&fileNumber=0902338&extension=0&startingDocumentIndexOnPage=1 Retrieved 2012-10-10
  9. ↑ Government of Canada. http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?nid=628589
  10. ↑ Small Business Week’s official website. http://www.bdc.ca/en/sbw/pages/local_events.html

External links


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