Committed to Black Business

Darrius and Meagan Peace realized the full benefit that participating in a black expo could have on their company, Hayah Cosmetics, soon after they launched the natural makeup line in 2007. The couple had attended and exhibited at black expos in the South and Midwest but when they’d return home to Birmingham, Alabama, after each trip, they noticed a void. Although African Americans comprise nearly 75% of the city’s population, there wasn’t a platform to help promote its black-owned businesses. So they created one.

“Participating in black expos was a great way to introduce our company and sell our products to our target demographic of African American women,” says Meagan, 27, who teamed up with her husband, Darrius, 32, to produce the Magic City Black Expo in 2009. Although other cities in Alabama have sponsored black expos in recent years, Birmingham’s last one was in 1996.

Adds Darrius: “We also realized that there were other black-owned businesses just like ours that needed the same outlet and platform to gain exposure and sell their products and services.”

Since last year, the daylong event has taken place during Black History Month. It showcases the products and services of black-owned and -operated businesses and offers education, empowerment, and entertainment activities.

During its first year the expo had more than 60 exhibitors, mostly local, along with more than 2,000 attendees. In 2010, they added about 30 exhibitors and the 2011 event had more than 150 vendors. This year, TheCASHFLOW and 100 Urban Entrepreneurs  sponsored a business pitch competition and awarded three $10,000 business grants to winners. The 2012 expo is expected to pull in 10,000 visitors.

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Tickets for the expo cost $6 for adults, and children under 12 are free. The Peaces charged exhibitors $400 for a 10-by-10 booth and $300 if they bought space early. Any money they make from the expo goes toward paying for the next year’s event. This year, they made $23,500.

Between 2002 and 2007, Birmingham’s black-owned businesses increased 113.3%, from 6,964 to 14,855. One of those business owners, Cedric Threatt, a Birmingham-based children’s book author and owner of Ahava Publishing L.L.C., has had a booth at every Magic City Black Expo and says his annual book sales have increased steadily with each event.

“I would say anywhere between 15% to 20%. It was just good to have another avenue because I got to meet people who otherwise would have never heard of me,” says Threatt, adding that he met educators who invited him to schools to do presentations for students.
Participating in the expo also proved fruitful for Birmingham spa owner Tiaesha Chestang, who was able to track the 15% sales increase she had in 2010 from a discount flier she handed out at her exhibit booth.

“I even get people who

come up to me in the grocery store who say, ‘I remember you from the black expo.’ [The expo] was really a truly amazing experience,” says Chestang, owner of Purify Wellness & Spa.  “The outpour from the black community was amazing. I had no clue that this could happen.”

HOW THEY DID IT
-  Do your research. Darrius says they Googled “How do you present an expo” and downloaded e-books that outlined tips such as securing a venue, gaining support from local government, and attracting exhibitors and sponsors. Next, they attended several black expos around the country, taking copious notes, connecting with people behind the scenes, and asking event organizers for advice on how to get started.

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-  Hit the pavement. Organizing the first Magic City Black Expo was truly a grassroots effort. They had no idea where the black-owned and black-operated businesses were located in Birmingham, so they drove around and

asked. Many small businesses were home-based and therefore not visible, Meagan noted. They also received referrals from other black businesses, friends, and family members. The Peaces passed out fliers, purchased radio and TV advertisements, and used e-mail and Facebook to promote the event. They also cold-called, e-mailed, and visited local black-owned businesses to get them to sign on as exhibitors.

To help ensure diversity among exhibitors, they permitted only two of the same types of businesses within a given category to participate, allowing a wider array of businesses. Darrius explains. “The only criteria we had was that they be licensed, legitimate businesses,” he says.

– Barter. Meagan and Darrius relied on their own resources and family and friends to make the initial investment of $3,000 for the first expo, which had operating costs totaling $10,000. The couple and volunteer organizers also relied on their negotiating skills, bartering for things such as media airtime.