Events for Small Businesses

Business Events

The Science, Industry & Business Library (SIBL) is now the Thomas Yoseloff Business Center and has relocated to the completely renovated Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library [SNFL]. Visit our update page for more information.
 

Manhattan​​​​ -

  • The Thomas Yoseloff Business Center offers a wide variety of small business programs and classes. Please check listings to determine if a program is in-person or online.

  • The Pace University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has teamed up with the New York Public Library’s Thomas Yoseloff Business Center to provide in-person business counseling sessions at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.  These FREE, confidential 1:1 sessions with Pace SBDC-certified business advisors  help existing small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with access to financing, implementing marketing and sales strategies, identifying and submitting for procurement opportunities, business planning, and more. Sessions are one hour in length and are by appointment only. To arrange a 1:1 session, sign up and complete the online counseling request using the new SBDC eCenter system, NYSBDC eCenter Direct. You will be prompted to create an account username and password in order to complete your counseling request. After your account is created and counseling request submitted, an SBDC counselor will be in touch to confirm your appointment date and time. You should receive a confirmation email after you've completed the final step. 

  • In January 2024 the Pace University Small Business Development Center launched in-person, one-to-one small business advisory services at the Brooklyn Public Library Business and Career Center. The 1:1 sessions are held every Thursday. Visit NYSBDC eCenter Direct to request an appointment.

  • The Pace University Small Business Development Center has created a Spanish-language version of their website. Spanish-speaking small businesses can access their Contacto page to request a meeting with a business advisor, and can find Success Stories written in Spanish about other Spanish- and English-speaking business owners who achieved their business goals with the SBDC’s help.

  • NYC Department of Small Business Services Webinar Calendar. Free events, courses, and WE NYC mentor sessions on Eventbrite. Click here to register.

  • Every Tuesday at 2:00 PM the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce hosts a webinar which provides answers and resources to businesses impacted by the COVID-19 virus. Click Here to join.

  • The Schomburg Center’s 12th Annual Black Comic Book Festival is scheduled for Friday – Saturday April 26, 2024 – April 27, 2024. This FREE, in-person event will take place at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 516 Malcolm X Boulevard in Manhattan.

  • The Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York is presenting a FREE, virtual afternoon seminar – Fraud Trends Affecting Nonprofits – on Tuesday April 30, 2024 from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.

  • The Pace University Small Business Development Center invites you to participate in a FREE, virtual presentation – Non-Disclosure Agreements: When Should You Require an NDA, When Should You Sign and NDA – on Wednesday May 1, 2024 at 1:30 PM.

  • The in-person New York City Small Business Expo 2024 is scheduled for Thursday May 2, 2024 from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Hall 1E, 429 11th Avenue in Manhattan.

  • The Baruch College Small Business Development Center is presenting a FREE, in-person seminar – How to Start and Grow Your Business in New York: The Immigrant Entrepreneurship Journey – on Thursday May 2, 2024 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. At the Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship, Room 2-140, 55 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.

  • The Pace University Small Business Development Center – in partnership with the Thomas Yoseloff Business Center – invites you to participate in a FREE, in-person presentation – Building a Small Business Website – on Tuesday May 7, 2024 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the New York Public Library’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, Thomas Yoseloff Business Center, 455 Fifth Avenue, 5th Floor in Manhattan.

  • The Baruch College Small Business Development Center invites you to participate in a FREE, in-person, two-part seminar, Kickstart Your Business: Navigating Funding Opportunities for Start-Ups. Part One is scheduled for Tuesday April 23, 2024 from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM. Part Two is scheduled for Tuesday May 7, 2024 from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM. Both modules will be held at the Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship at Baruch College, Room 2-140, 55 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.

  • Join the Pace University Small Business Development Center at a FREE, virtual presentation – Contracts and Risk Management for Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs – on Wednesday May 8, 2024 from 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.

  • The European American Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend a FREE, in-person presentation – Keep Your Guards Up: Managing Technology and Cybersecurity Risks – on Thursday May 9, 2024 from 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM at the Bank of Ireland NYC Hub, 140 East 45th Street in Manhattan.

  • The New York City Department of Small Business Services – in partnership with the Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation and Accompany Capital – invites you to attend a FREE, virtual presentation on their Commercial Lease Assistance Program. The presentation will be offered on Thursday March 14, 2024, on Thursday April 11, 2024, and on Thursday May 9, 2024. Each presentation is scheduled from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM. For additional information visit nyc.gov/commlease, call 888-SBS-4NYC, or contact Tsetan Dekyi at tdekyi@accompanycapital.org.

  • World Trade Week New York City 2024 officially launches with a Kick-Off Event on Thursday May 9, 2024 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Participation in-person is $35 at Baruch College, 121 East 25th Street, 7th Floor in Manhattan. Participation virtually is FREE. Registration is required.

  • The in-person TechDay Expo is scheduled for Friday May 10, 2024 from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, 429 11th Avenue, in Manhattan.

  • 1010 WINS – in partnership with Dime Community Bank – invites you to participate in their 10K Small Business Challenge. The Challenge will help you to relaunch, rebuild, or expand your small business. Applications accepted through Sunday May 12, 2024 at 11:59 PM.

  • SCORE NYC and New York Women in Business invite you to participate in a FREE, in-person, three workshop seminar – Leveraging AI to Drive Small Business Growth – on Friday May 17, 2024 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, 303 Sands Street [across from Wegman’s], 9th Floor. Registration opens in mid-April 2024.

  • The New York Public Library’s FREE, annual Job Fair and Expo 2024 is scheduled for Friday May 17, 2024 at the Stephen A. Schwartzman Building, 476 Fifth Avenue - at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue - from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

  • The New York City Department of Small Business Services is hosting their first, in-person, NYC Small Business Month Expo on Wednesday May 29, 2024 from 9:00 AM– 3:00 PM at Pier 36 NYC, 299 South Street in Manhattan.

  • The HBKi: Seed program is a flexible five-part online program in which aspiring entrepreneurs are given access to tools and templates to develop critical components of their business plan, join a community of entrepreneurial peers through peer-to-peer in-person sessions at Chelsea Market, and be connected to a volunteer mentor who can provide feedback on their product and business model. Complete an application to be invited to an upcoming virtual orientation: Tuesday April 30, 2024, Monday May 6, 2024, or Thursday June 6, 2024. Have questions? Reach out to hbkincubates@hotbreadkitchen.org.

  • The next round of Verizon’s Digital Ready Small Business Grant opened Monday April 22, 2024 and closes at 11:59 PM [PT] on Friday June 28, 2024.  To be eligible, create a Digital Ready account and complete any combination of two courses or virtual events between January 1, 2024 – June 28, 2024. All applicants will be notified whether they have been selected as a grant finalist by Friday August 2, 2024.

     

Bronx - 

 

Brooklyn -

  • The 21st annual Brooklyn Public Library PowerUp Business Plan Competition launches in Spring 2024. Participants will have the opportunity to win $20,000 to start their Brooklyn-based business. Information sessions are scheduled in March 2024 and April 2024 – three virtual and two in-person. Register to attend one of these sessions for more details about the Competition and how to apply.
     

  • The Pace University Small Business Development Center – in partnership with the Brooklyn Public Library Business and Career Center – invites you to attend their next FREE, in-person Small Business Website Workday on Thursday May 2, 2024 from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM at the Brooklyn Public Library Business and Career Center, 10 Grand Army Plaza.

  • The Brooklyn Public Library invites you to attend their annual, in-person, The People’s Ball: Stand Out / Stand Up! - the Library’s annual celebration of fashion, personal style, and inclusivity - on Sunday May 5, 2024 from 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM at the Brooklyn Public Library, the Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza.

  • Beginning Thursday, January 4, 2024 the Pace University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is offering FREE, weekly, one-on-one business advisement at Brooklyn Public Library’s Business & Career Center. These business advisement sessions are available to existing small businesses and to aspiring entrepreneurs. Visit their  calendar to make an appointment.

  • The Brooklyn Public Library Business and Career Center’s new workforce advancement program – LevelUp - is designed to help Black women get to the next stage professionally and build wealth. The 10-week courses – sponsored by the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women initiative - provides mentoring, financial coaching and in-depth knowledge on key industries where Black women have a low percentage of employment. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis for all cycles.
     

Queens -

  • The Queens Economic Development Corporation’s next TEES series – presented in partnership with the Pace University Small Business Development Center - launches in April 2024. Raising Money Through Crowdfunding is a FREE, virtual, four-part series scheduled on four consecutive Thursdays: April 11, 2024, April 18, 2024, April 25, 2024, and May 2, 2024. Each module runs from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.

  • Join the Queens Economic Development Corporation for a FREE, virtual, four-part seminar – Become a Power User of ChatGPT. The modules will be held on April 15, 2024, April 22, 2024, April 29, 2024, and May 2, 2024 and run from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.

  • The Queens Public Library invites you to participate in a FREE, virtual presentation – Introduction to Entrepreneurship – on Tuesday May 7, 2024 from 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM.

  • On July 26, 2023, the Port Authority of NY & NJ announced the launch of the JFK Institute of Concessions (IOC), a community development initiative designed to equip local and diverse businesses with the knowledge and applied skills necessary to successfully operate concessions at JFK Airport. The IOC teaches vital competencies that cover a range of topics including, but not limited to, Airport 101, financial investments, design and buildout, legal operating models, security and customer experience. Participants will also have exposure to day-to-day operations of airport concessions and will practice responding to solicitations through mock role-play activities. Graduates of the IOC will serve as a curated pool of competent local and diverse businesses for the Port Authority and its partners to consider as potential concessionaires through a competitive bidding process. For any questions about the IOC, send an email to Info.Concessions@panynj.gov.
     

Staten Island -

  • The Staten Island Economic Development Corporation [SIEDC] is launching the Veteran and Immigrant-Owned Business Incubator Program. The program's goal is to assist and support these targeted businesses via SIEDC programs and services. To apply for the program contact Jacqueline Diaz at 718-477-1400, ext 829, or jacqueline@siedc.org.

 

Other Locations -

  • The Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week is scheduled for April 28, 2024 – May 4, 2024. The SBA – in partnership with SCORE – are co-hosting the FREE, virtual, NSBW Virtual Summit scheduled for Tuesday – Wednesday April 30, 2024 – May 1, 2024 from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM each day. Registration is required.

  • The European Patent Office is offering a series of webinars for patent information users.