Small Business Expo 2008

For the third year, the Companies Office is a proud exhibitor at the Small Business Expo.  We will be there along with representatives from the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ), Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR), and Insolvency and Trustee Service (ITS) to offer you FREE business information.

Auckland’s post-expo update

The first 2008 Small Business Expo took place at the ASB Showgrounds on 16, 17 and 18 April 2008.

With 7,467 attendees, of whom 3,669 attended The National Bank Seminar Series, the 2008 Auckland Small Business Expo was again a fantastic business to business event.

Christchurch’s post-expo update: 'MED: the Most Sustainable Site'

The second 2008 Small Business Expo took place at the Convention Centre on 20, 21, & 22 May 2008.

Heidi Benson (Senior e-business Advisor) and Rachel Dawson
(Principal Trade Mark Examiner – IPONZ)
with the 'Most Sustainable Site' award.

At the Site Awards for Exhibitors on 20 May, the MED: Online with Business Zone was announced the 'Most Sustainable Site'.  The award was mainly presented based on:

• The stand design – as it was not Expo specific, and parts of the stand had been re-used at other events between the different Expos, and will continue to be used at future events;

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• all elements of the stand packs down to a reasonable size, and have their own packaging for transport, which can be re-used again and again; and

• our Companies Office giveaway, which was designed to encourage sustainability and less waste.  The cubes promote mandatory online filing with the Companies Office, which will reduce the cost of compliance for companies, and a business’s impact on the environment.  It carries the sustainability message, and at MED, staffs use these or similar bins as their landfill waste bin, and we encouraged clients to do the same.

We also designed our zone to encourage clients to use our online services rather than paper, for example, to reduce the use of paper forms, and to show clients how to find information on our websites so that brochures are not needed.

• Setting up a company online with the Companies Office;
• Applying for trade marks to protect brand names with the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand;
• Demonstrations on how to register financing statements on the Personal Property Securities Register; and
• How to search for a bankrupt on the Insolvency and Trustee Service website.

We welcomed this opportunity to be able to provide a range of key information that is valuable to the New Zealand business community in one place. We also provided a wide variety of pamphlets, and had a number of experts in each field available onsite to answer any questions.

Thank you to all who came to visit us.

Congratulations to Ms. T Taite from Christchurch, the lucky winner of an iPod Shuffle from our competition at the Christchurch Expo.Top

Fraser Benson (Senior e-Business Advisor) with
Ms. T Taite, the iPod Shuffle winner.

What is the Small Business Expo?

The Small Business Expo has now become an annual business to business marketplace that provides business solutions under one roof.  With over 200 exhibitors, it is the largest event for small to medium size business owners.  National Business Review see this as a ‘must-go’ activity, where you can get information to be a better business owner, make better business decisions, and improve your productivity.

To find out more about the Expo, visit www.businessexpo.co.nz.

There will be free seminars, specialist advice and mentoring.  The Companies Office is pleased to be able to offer you free entry to the Small Business Expo.  Download your free e-ticket here.

Where & when is the Wellington Expo being held?

TSB Arena, Queens Wharf

Wednesday 25 June 2008
9:00am - 4:00pm

Thursday 26 June 2008
9:00am - 8:00pm (LATE NIGHT)

Friday 27 June 2008
9:00am - 4:00pm

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What to see at the Expo?

• The Ministry of Economic Development’s ‘Online with Business Zone’
• The Genesis Energy Sustainability Zone where you can find practical, sustainable solutions for your business
• Large halls of exhibitors, all of whom have a quality offering and a good understanding of the needs of business
• Work remotely at the NewstalkZB Cyber Café
• Find all the business information you need at the Statistics NZ Business Information Zone
• Networking opportunities
• Hot show-only prices on the very best of products and services offered to the small business owner
• A healthy dose of inspiration
• Free seminars on topics from export support to HR and IT to marketing, with specific focus on Sustainability at The National Bank Seminar Series
• The Te Puni Kōkiri Māori Business Development Zone
• The National Business Support Zone.

At the Expo we offer you the following seminars:

1. From the Companies Office:

'How changes to filing with the Companies Office will reduce your paper work.'

• Find out about the changes to filing annual returns, changes to company names, the issue of shares, and other important documents with the Companies Office
• Learn how the Companies Office is making company administration quicker and easier
• Discover how easy it is to set up a company online. 

Thursday 26 June, 4:30pm

2. From Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ):

'How you can protect your ideas and turn them into valuable assets.'

• Intellectual property (IP) assets that you will encounter in business
• Business growth opportunities from IP leverage
• IP clearance checks.

Wednesday 25 June, 2:30pm

Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter

To keep your business updated on our work, the Ministry publishes a monthly electronic newsletter.  Subscribe to Business Update!

FREE in-house training

We regularly conduct free training to clients in-house or via regional workshops.  To find out more please visit www.companies.govt.nz/training.