{"id":56531,"date":"2025-06-27T21:40:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-28T01:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=56531"},"modified":"2025-06-27T21:40:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T01:40:12","slug":"city-of-lakeland-will-host-2025-central-florida-business-expo-on-september-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2025\/06\/27\/city-of-lakeland-will-host-2025-central-florida-business-expo-on-september-24\/","title":{"rendered":"CITY OF LAKELAND WILL HOST 2025 CENTRAL FLORIDA BUSINESS EXPO ON SEPTEMBER 24"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-dominant-color=\"d3d1d2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d3d1d2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"441\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/651186.webp?resize=1024%2C441&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-56532 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/651186.webp?resize=1024%2C441&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/651186.webp?resize=300%2C129&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/651186.webp?resize=768%2C331&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/651186.webp?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The City of Lakeland is proud to announce the return of the&nbsp;Central Florida Business Expo, taking place Wednesday,&nbsp;September 24, 2025, at the RP Funding Center. Following the overwhelming success of last year\u2019s inaugural event, the Expo is poised to be an even greater catalyst for connection, collaboration, and economic growth across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Building on the momentum of the 2024 Expo\u2014which welcomed over&nbsp;850 attendees,&nbsp;79 exhibitors,&nbsp;29 sponsors, and&nbsp;24 business resource partners\u2014this year\u2019s event promises more opportunities, expanded programming, and an even larger platform for Central Florida\u2019s thriving business community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;2025 Central Florida Business Expo&nbsp;is designed for entrepreneurs, executives, nonprofit leaders, and anyone eager to advance their organization and strengthen their professional network. The event will feature:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dynamic Keynote Speakers:<\/strong>\u00a0Brian &amp; Gabrielle Bosch\u00e9, bestselling authors and founders of The Purpose Company, will share actionable insights on purpose-driven leadership and building a thriving organizational culture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CEO Fireside Chats:<\/strong>\u00a0Engaging conversations with influential executives from across Central Florida, exploring how purpose and innovation drive long-term success.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Targeted Breakout Sessions:<\/strong>\u00a0Workshops and presentations designed to equip attendees with practical strategies for business growth, marketing, and leadership development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expanded Exhibit Hall:<\/strong>\u00a0Over\u00a0100 exhibitors, including local businesses, startups, and service providers offering solutions and resources to help businesses grow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Elevated VIP Experiences:<\/strong>\u00a0Exclusive access to national speakers, private networking lounges, professional headshots, book signings, and curated receptions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe 2024 Expo was a turning point for business leaders in this region,\u201d said&nbsp;Chrissanne Long, Expo Organizer. \u201cIn 2025, we\u2019re building on that success with even more resources, partnerships, and practical tools to help our local businesses thrive. Central Florida is shaping the future of the I-4 Corridor, and the Expo is where those connections and collaborations begin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lakeland City Manager Shawn Sherrouse&nbsp;emphasized the importance of the event. \u201cThe Central Florida Business Expo reflects the power of partnership between the public and private sectors,\u201d Sherrouse said. \u201cWe are proud to support an event that strengthens economic opportunity and drives innovation for the entire region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Returning as Expo Host and Emcee is&nbsp;Troy C. Smith, who will energize the audience, introduce speakers, and lead an interactive kickoff to set the tone for the day. \u201cLast year\u2019s Expo was electric\u2014and this year, we\u2019re turning up the volume,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt\u2019s an honor to help make this event unforgettable and ensure every attendee leaves not just inspired, but ready to take action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;2025 Central Florida Business Expo&nbsp;is ideal for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Aspiring and established entrepreneurs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Small and mid-sized business owners<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Corporate executives and professionals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nonprofit leaders and community advocates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Anyone eager to connect, collaborate, and grow in today\u2019s dynamic economy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tickets will go on sale soon.&nbsp;Exhibitor booths and sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information, visit&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cflbe.com\/exhibitors-sponsors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/cflbe.com\/exhibitors-sponsors\/<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The City of Lakeland is proud to announce the return of the&nbsp;Central Florida Business Expo, taking place Wednesday,&nbsp;September 24, 2025, at the RP Funding Center. Following the overwhelming success of&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"14","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNVwvMDZcLzY1MTE4Ni53ZWJwP2ZpdD0xMDI0JTJDNDQxJnNzbD0xIiwidHh0IjoiQ0lUWSBPRiBMQUtFTEFORCBXSUxMIEhPU1QgMjAyNSBDRU5UUkFMIEZMT1JJREEgQlVTSU5FU1MgRVhQTyBPTiBTRVBURU1CRVIgMjQiLCJ0ZW1wbGF0ZSI6ImhpZ2h3YXkiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNjMwNDA2NjF9.nh6qwbDmOyG8fUGmLdnVul6NjlIuk_kEAKh65IqIhG4MQ"},"version":2,"attached_media":[{"id":56532,"url":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/651186.webp","type":"image\/webp"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[11745],"class_list":["post-56531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-city-of-lakeland-will-host-2025-central-florida-business-expo-on-september-24"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56531"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56533,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56531\/revisions\/56533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}