Calgary Small Business Week kicks off October 19 - 22

Calgary, October 18, 2021 – The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is excited to launch this year’s edition of Small Business Week, taking place October 19 to 22, with the generous sponsorship of connectFirst Credit Union.

In its tenth year, Small Business Week will look different than years past.

“Just as every business has had to pivot the past 20 months, we at the Calgary Chamber did too,” says Deborah Yedlin, President and CEO, Calgary Chamber of Commerce. “While this year’s Small Business Week still offers many occasions for connection, appreciation and recognition, we’ve adapted the format for all our programs to ensure public health and safety.”

This year’s Small Business Week features coffee drive-throughs for small businesses in all quadrants of Calgary – accompanied by the vaccine bus – programs such as the Small Business Virtual Summit featuring inspiring keynote speakers, business-focused panel discussions and educational workshops. The week closes with the Chamber's marquee event, the Small Business Calgary Awards Gala, which recognizes the best of Calgary’s small businesses across eight award categories.

“Small businesses are the heart of our economy. They make up over 95 per cent of all businesses in Calgary and span every sector and industry,” says Yedlin. “Small businesses give our city its texture. They make our communities more lively and bring diversity and choice to our citizens and play an important role in training and skills development. Small Business Week is our way of shining the spotlight on the value these businesses bring to our city.”

Highlights

Appreciation Stations

• October 19, 20, 22, 7:30am – 9:00am  
• The Calgary Chamber shows its support of Calgary small businesses with drive-through coffee stations scheduled in various locations in each quadrant of Calgary.  

Tech event: unpacking a sector and enabling small businesses

• October 20, 5:00pm – 7:00pm  
• We take a look at our thriving tech sector, how it is impacting and benefiting other businesses, and what is needed to grow and scale this important industry.

Small Business Virtual Summit

• October 21, 10:00am – 3:30pm 
• Summit features keynote speakers, workshops, networking and a few special surprises. 

Calgary Small Business Awards Gala

• October 22, 5:00pm – 9:00pm
• Speakers include: Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation, the Honourable Doug Schweitzer, and Calgary’s Mayor-elect. 

Presenting sponsor and community focused banking partner connectFirst Credit Union understands the importance of helping small businesses succeed.

“Alberta is going through an economic transformation and it’s exciting,” says Wellington Holbrook, Chief Operating Officer, connectFirst. “For small business owners in this province, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. At connectFirst, we recognize that small and mid-size businesses are the heartbeat of this province, and whether they are starting up or scaling up, supporting Small Business Week is our way of showing our commitment to serving, growing and building successful businesses in Alberta.”

About Small Business Week

Small Business Week is the Calgary Chamber’s flagship event that celebrates, supports, and inspires small businesses and is one of the largest small business week celebrations in Canada. First established in 1979 by the Business Development Bank of Canada, Small Business week is now a nationwide celebration across cities and towns dedicated to this vital part of the economy.

This event is one of Canada’s largest B2B networking events, with programs tailored to growth-focused entrepreneurs featuring a variety of workshops, events and networking opportunities both virtual and in-person. The week concludes by shining the spotlight on Calgary’s leading small businesses with the Small Business Awards Gala.

For more information on Small Business Week and Awards, visit: https://calgarychamber.com/small-business-week

About small business in Calgary

Small businesses make up over 95 per cent of all businesses in Calgary and per capita, Calgary has the second highest number of small businesses of Canada’s major cities. Small businesses are also a driving force of our national economy, employing nearly 70 per cent of Canada’s total private labour force and generating over 40 per cent of national gross domestic product.

Read a recent article from the Calgary Chamber, illustrating the big impact of small business.

About the Calgary Chamber

The Calgary Chamber is an independent non-profit, non-partisan business organization. For 130 years, the Chamber has worked to build a business community that nourishes, powers, and inspires the world.

About connectFirst Credit Union

connectFirst Credit Union, one of the largest and most successful credit unions in Canada, is a full-service financial institution with over $6 billion in assets under administration. connectFirst employs 750 Albertans who provide a range of financial products and advice in more than 40 communities across central and southern Alberta. It serves over 125,000 members through a community-focused approach to banking.

For media inquiries, please contact media@calgarychamber.com or at 403-750-0414.