Speakers at South Carolina's biggest annual manufacturing expo highlight record attendance and strong B2B networking. The event connects manufacturers with supply-chain vendors and focuses on workforce development through partnerships with universities and high schools.
So it's been a great event. People are excited. There's a lot of networking going on, a lot of people talking.
We're trying to bring manufacturing employees together to network and have business conversations with the smaller companies that service them, what we call the supply chain.
It's probably the biggest show of the year, so it's a must, I think, if you have a business in the local area.
They're doing more than providing jobs and opportunities for South Carolinians. They're also helping to introduce our state We had standing room only.
They were engaged, and we didn't turn anybody away, and everybody was welcome. People had registered months in advance to attend. It was the largest turnout in It was fabulous.
One of the things I've really appreciated so far is the B2B networking event that they've got set up for some of the larger manufacturers that are here to introduce them to other vendors and exhibitors that are here that support the large OEM and manufacturing base in our part of the country.
People come to do work. People come to build relationships. I've met some great innovative businesses.
It's always a good place to go outside of your box. I liked hearing everyone's different views about how we're developing the industry, how we're developing our workforce, and how we're currently— what we need to do to continue to retain and engage our current workforce as well. What we can do to grow our skilled workforce, how we can help and partner with universities, the high schools.
We do take care of our exhibitors because it's a conference and an expo, and it's very important that our exhibitors are happy. It's very important us that they get out of this conference what they want, which is the chance to do business with important manufacturing companies, large manufacturing companies.
