Event Schedule
| Time | Event | Location | Cost |
| 7:30 - 10:00 am | WNPR Small Business Breakfast - Live Broadcast - Presented by WNPR and CPTV. Supported by founding sponsor Webster Bank. | ConnectiCare Room | free |
 Be part of WNPR’s live broadcast of Where We Live, as part of the Small Business Project. This live Where We Live episode will focus on young entrepreneurs and how to foster small business among people early in their careers. The recession means more young people than ever are getting out of college without jobs, or not finding work in their fields. How can Connecticut get more creative entrepreneurs started in their own small businesses? We’ll hear from successful (and experienced) entrepreneurs who will give advice, and hear from networks of young entrepreneurs about their ideas and the challenges facing them. Free. Pre-registration required. Includes breakfast, compliments of Bruegger's Bagels.
Webster Bank is the founding sponsor of The Small Business Project. Hosted by WNPR News Director John Dankosky and business panelists. WNPR’s Small Business Project elevates understanding of the challenges faced by small business, educates policy-makers, and highlights the vital role of small business to the state’s economy. WNPR’s Small Business project provides the vital information Connecticut needs to succeed as a small business leader. Join the conversation! | |||
| 10 a.m. | Official Showfloor Opening - (Show open until 5:00 p.m.) | Showfloor | free |
| 10 - 11:30 a.m. | "Why Connecticut" Panel Discussion - Presented by Quinnipiac Bank & Trust Company. Hosted by the Small Business Council. | Aetna Room | free |
| This break-out session provides an overview of what's working for and against the Connecticut business community and what we should be working on in order to improve the climate for small business in Connecticut. There will be plenty of time to ask questions! Presented by Quinnipiac Bank & Trust Company. Presenters Include: - Ann Haynes, President of the Economic Development Corporation of New Haven (EDC) - Matthew Nemerson, President and CEO of the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC), - Bob Santy, President and CEO of the Connecticut Economic Resource Council, Inc. (CERC) - Bernard Sweeney, District Director for Connecticut of the Small Business Administration (SBA) | |||
| 10:30 am | Coffee Break - Hosted by Bruegger's Bagels | Showfloor | free |
| 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Taste of the Chamber - Presented by ConnectiCare | ConnectiCare Room | $10 |
 Presented by ConnectiCare
We’re celebrating at the 3rd Annual Taste of the Chamber! Join fellow business pros on a culinary adventure, while sampling menu specialties from some of Greater New Haven’s finest restaurants.
Participating Restaurants include:
| |||
| 12- 1 p.m. | Good Health Means Good Business! - Hosted by Health Care Council | Aetna Room | free |
This event will announce the winners of the 2011 Chamber’s Challenge, presented by UnitedHealthCare. Learn about winning strategies to help maintain and improve your company’s wellness program. You’ll also hear directly from an insurance provider on their perspective of how these simple changes can increase employee’s health without hurting a business’s bottom line. Presented by Stephen Farrell, CEO of UnitedHealthcare New England.
About Speaker Stephen Farrell:
As Chief Executive Officer of United Healthcare of New England, Inc., Stephen Farrell is responsible for serving more than 600,000 members and more than 40,000 physicians and providers inConnecticut,Maine,Massachusetts,New Hampshire, andRhode Island. As CEO, he oversees business operations and strategic initiatives, including sale, marketing, medical programs, community relations, product management and finance. A 16-year veteran of the health care industry, Stephen has a proven track record as a results-oriented leader, with tremendous strength in strategic and organizational planning. He joined UnitedHealthcare of New England in 2002 as Chief Operating Officer and was promoted in August 2003 and was promoted to CEO in 2005. Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare, Stephen was in charge of Aetna’sNew Englandoperations for four years. In that capacity, he was responsible for managing more than 100 employees, 250,000 local health plan members and 350,000 national members. Stephen has become an active member of the community and sits on the boards of Grow Smart Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Quality Institute, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and, Connecticut Business and Industry Association. | |||
| 1:00-1:30 p.m. | Info Session for Marvelous Rio Trip - Presented by Sundial Travel | free | |
| Join us for info session about the Chamber’s Trip to Marvelous Rio April 24 to May 1, 2012. Includes slideshow. $2,399 vacation package includes: Hotels and roundtrip air fare from New York, 8 Days , 8 meals Trip Highlights: Ascend Sugarloaf by cable car for mesmerizing views of Rio’s coastline and rolling forest. Indulge in a typical Churrascaria dinner, a true Brazilian feast. Marvel at the views from Christ the Redeemer, one of the new seven wonders of the world. Enjoy visits to Ipanema, Copacabana and the undiscovered Grumari beaches. Admire the botanic gardens at the Burle Marx Estate and the collection of Brazilian art at Casa do Pontal . | |||
| 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. | Keynote Presentation “An Afternoon with JJ Ramberg” - Meet JJ Ramberg, host of Your Business, MSNBC. Presented by the Nonprofit Resource Council. | Aetna Room | free |
 JJ is the host of MSNBC’s Your Business, the only television show dedicated to issues affecting small business owners.
Now in its fifth season, the program has profiled thousands of small business owners and offered advice from countless small business experts and investors. Her guests include Senate and House Small Business Committee members, the head of the Small Business Administration, and members of the Cabinet. JJ is a contributor to the Today Show on business and financial issues. She is also MSNBC’s small business expert and occasional on-air news anchor. What sets JJ apart is her passion for small business and her firsthand experience as an entrepreneur herself. In 2005, she and her brother Ken founded GoodSearch.com, a Yahoo!-powered search engine which donates 50% of its revenue to the nonprofits and schools designated by its users. In 2007, the company expanded to include GoodShop.com, an online shopping mall which has partnered with more than 1,600 retailers (from Amazon to Zazzle) to give a percentage of every purchase back to the shopper’s designated cause. GoodSearch now works with nearly 100,000 nonprofits and schools ranging from large national organizations like The American Red Cross and The Nature Conservancy to small local causes like hospitals and animal rescues. It has more than 1.6 million unique users per month. More info || Register online | |||
| 2:30 -3:30 p.m. | HR and Recent Legislative Issues: How New State Law is Affecting Business - Presented by the Human Resource Council | Aetna Room | free |
Presented by Mark Soycher, Counsel, Human Resource Services, CBIA
Join us for a fast paced review of recent changes to state law affecting CT employers and HR management practices, including: paid sick leave, gender identity/expression, use of credit checks in hiring, income tax increases and processing payroll, unemployment tax assessments, personnel files access and increased penalties, among others, as well as some that could have been, but were put off to another day. And most importantly, we’ll also seek to engage you in some lively discussion on what you can do to affect the future.
Would you ever do this: hire a group of new workers, send them off with minimal to no direction? Once or twice a year you check in on how they are doing, and complain bitterly about what a mess they are making of your business. Every two years, you formally advise them of your disapproval, or approval, and then you do it all over again and again, and again…?
Do you ever do this: every two years you vote, or don’t vote, for members of the CT General Assembly, who then gather annually to debate, and pass new laws? Periodically through the year you complain bitterly about what a mess they are making of your business. And the next year you, and they, do it all over again, and then we repeat the above, over, and over, and over…? This educational session will talk about what you can do to affect the future of Connecticut business.
About the Presenter Mark Soycher: Mark has over 25 years of experience guiding Connecticut employers and employees through the maze of laws and regulations affecting their workplace, providing legal assistance with all workplace problems, from hiring to firing. He was in private law practice from 1990 to 2002. Soycher brings that experience to CBIA members day to day on the telephone as part of CBIA’s HR consulting team, discussing how national and state employment laws affect employers in Connecticut's workplaces, and on how best to plan and apply workplace strategies that anticipate and avoid legal disputes. Additionally, he has conducted training sessions for thousands of Connecticut workers on a wide range of topics, including Sexual Harassment Prevention, Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention, Employment Law for Managers, ADA Law and Reasonable Accommodation, FMLA, and Ethics Compliance. | |||
| 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Tablets in the Workplace - Presented by Janus Systems. Hosted by The Technology Council | Aetna Room | free |
| United Airlines just replaced a 38 lb. flight manual with a 1.3 lb, iPad for 11,000 pilots! This is just one example of how Tablets will reshape the workplace in the coming years. This seminar will explore ideas on how Tablets can impact your business, save money and increase productivity. Discussions will include how Tablets can be used for sales force automation; portable photo libraries; enhanced personal productivity; or as personal presentation tools for one on one work with customers. See selected Apps in action as tools for changing the way you do business. Prepare to be inspired! Moderated by Pat Dehner, Director of Training and Development for P C Richard & Son. About Pat Dehner “The Trainer” Pat Dehner has been in the Appliance and Electronics industry for over 35 years. In1988 Pat joined P.C. Richard & Son as a Sales Associate. He quickly advanced to showroom Manager, managing three retail locations, before joining the Sales Training team as a Trainer in 1993. As Trainer, he developed and conducted training programs for new hires and continuing education of the existing sales team, which included sales techniques and product training. He continued to expand the training function as the company and employee base grew, and now holds the position of Director of Training and Development. Today, he oversees three training centers located in Farmingdale NY, Carteret NJ, and Bridgeport CT. Pat regularly represents the company as a media spokesman for product technology. He has appeared on “The Home Show with Jerry Leen” (WOR Radio), “Good Day New York” (FOX5), “Toni on NY” (WB11), “Techline” & “The Internet Show” (TV55), (Bloomberg TV), CT Now (Fox CT) and most recently on “Dream Room Makeover” with Mar Jennings (Fox CT). | |||
| 4 – 5 p.m. | "How to Be A Fierce Competitor" Leadership Dessert Reception with Jeffrey Fox - Presented by the Greater New Haven Leadership Center and Albertus Magnus College | ConnectiCare Room | free |
 This unique event features leadership presentation with business expert and bestselling author Jeff Fox, followed by booksigning, dessert and conversation with fellow business pros. Signed copies of How to Be a Fierce Competitor will be for sale. All we need is you! Dessert and drinks, compliments of Box 63 and Lilly's Gourmet Pasta-New Haven. Presented by the Greater New Haven Leadership Center and Albertus Magnus College.
About Jeffrey Fox:
For over 25 years, Jeffrey Fox has been helping clients grow revenues and increase gross margins. Jeffrey is founder of Fox and Company, a management consulting firm that shows clients how to dollarize their value proposition to overcome the price objection and to shorten the sales cycle. Fox has written eleven best-selling business books that have been translated into over thirty languages.
Jeff is the author of “How to Become CEO,” which was on the NY Times, Business Week, Wall Street Journal, Knight-Ridder, Amazon.com, best seller lists. His books have been best sellers in France, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia. His book, “How to Become a Rainmaker,” was selected as one of the 100 best business books ever written. His “Dollarization Discipline” was selected as one off the top thirty business books of 2006. He is a popular speaker, appearing regularly before senior management groups and sales forces. Jeff is a graduate of Harvard Business School. Fox and Company is in Chester, CT. | |||
| 5 p.m. | EXPO closes - Thanks for attending! | Showfloor | free |