Hula dancers, flower leis and tropical colors filled the
Bonfante Gardens Event Pavilion Thursday at the 14th Annual South
Silicon Valley Business Showcase and Mixer.
Gilroy – Hula dancers, flower leis and tropical colors filled the Bonfante Gardens Event Pavilion Thursday at the 14th Annual South Silicon Valley Business Showcase and Mixer.
The event featured 66 local businesses at its paradise-themed tradeshow, ranging from wineries to restaurants to Realtors. Visitors picked up free advance tickets at the Chamber of Commerce or paid $2 to mingle with vendors who rented spaces for $400 to $525.
“The tradeshow exposes people to local products and services for seven hours,” Susan Valenta, President of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce. “It’s one on one with a lot of what Gilroy has to offer.”
Gilroy Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center drew in visitors by taking Polaroid photographs of them posed behind a wooden cut out of a man and woman’s body dressed in beach ware. Susan Tellerday and Jodi Mallare manned the booth dressed in Hawaiian shirts, straw hats and leis, sharing information about the nursing home, which has a rehabilitation and Alzheimer’s Center.
“A lot of local businesses give you new ideas,” Mallare said. “You find many businesses have what you need.”
The show also gives them a chance to meet new people and have a little fun with the booth decorating contest.
While some booths kept their decorations simple, a few offered some stiff competition for Gilroy Healthcare.
South Valley National Bank, a long time participant in the annual showcase, decked out their space with Tiki lamps, coconuts carved into faces and two cut outs of shirtless Hawaiian boys hanging at the back of their booth.
Many of the vendors collected business cards from visitors for drawings or offered a “wheel of fortune” spin for prizes. Washington Mutual Home Loan Center offered a spin for a raffle drawing with the winners taking home San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders or San Jose Sharks tickets. A spin at the Panera Breads numbered wheel helped decide what pastry or bread guests took home.
Vendors spoke positively of the new venue for the show, which has been held in the building that is now the Department of Motor Vehicles in downtown Gilroy. This year marks the first time Bonfante Gardens has been used for the tradeshow.
“I love the venue,” said Stephanie Wemusa, a board member of Leadership Gilroy. “It’s open and spacious.”
Despite the bright colors and the sunny attire worn by many participants, the open-air pavilion stayed cool throughout the day with breezes catching the booths set up around the perimeter.
But the cool air didn’t keep visitors and vendors from snacking at the booths of a few local restaurants. Mama Mia’s offered penne pomodoro, along with garlic bread and salad.
