Events for Small Businesses

Business Events

The Science, Industry & Business Library (SIBL) is now the Thomas Yoseloff Business Center and has relocated to the completely renovated Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library [SNFL]. Visit our update page for more information.
 

Manhattan​​​​ -

  • The Thomas Yoseloff Business Center offers a wide variety of small business programs and classes. Please check listings to determine if a program is in-person or online.

  • The Pace University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has teamed up with the New York Public Library’s Thomas Yoseloff Business Center to provide in-person business counseling sessions at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.  These FREE, confidential 1:1 sessions with Pace SBDC-certified business advisors  help existing small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with access to financing, implementing marketing and sales strategies, identifying and submitting for procurement opportunities, business planning, and more. Sessions are one hour in length and are by appointment only. To arrange a 1:1 session, sign up and complete the online counseling request using the new SBDC eCenter system, NYSBDC eCenter Direct. You will be prompted to create an account username and password in order to complete your counseling request. After your account is created and counseling request submitted, an SBDC counselor will be in touch to confirm your appointment date and time. You should receive a confirmation email after you've completed the final step. 

  • In January 2024 the Pace University Small Business Development Center launched in-person, one-to-one small business advisory services at the Brooklyn Public Library Business and Career Center. The 1:1 sessions are held every Thursday. Visit NYSBDC eCenter Direct to request an appointment.

  • The Pace University Small Business Development Center has created a Spanish-language version of their website. Spanish-speaking small businesses can access their Contacto page to request a meeting with a business advisor, and can find Success Stories written in Spanish about other Spanish- and English-speaking business owners who achieved their business goals with the SBDC’s help.

  • NYC Department of Small Business Services Webinar Calendar. Free events, courses, and WE NYC mentor sessions on Eventbrite. Click here to register.

  • Every Tuesday at 2:00 PM the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce hosts a webinar which provides answers and resources to businesses impacted by the COVID-19 virus. Click Here to join.

  • Join the Baruch College Small Business Development Center at a FREE, in-person seminar – How to Start and Grow Your Business in NY as an Immigrant – on Tuesday March 19, 2024 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM at the Baruch College Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship, 55 Lexington Avenue. 

  • New York City’s NYC Open Data Team at the Office of Technology and Innovation, BetaNYC, and Data Through Design celebrate the City’s annual Open Data Week 2024 from Saturday March 16, 2024 – Sunday March 24, 2024. Events are scheduled throughout the five boroughs and online.

  • Join the Better Business Bureau Foundation of Metro NY at a FREE, virtual presentation – Planning for Critical Financial Decisions – on Tuesday March 26, 2024 from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.

  • The Harlem Business Alliance invites you to participate in their FREE, in-person presentation – Small Business Support Workshop. The workshop will be offered on Thursday April 4, 2024 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and on Thursday April 18, 2024 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the Harlem Business Alliance Creative Workspace, 275 Lenox Avenue.

  • The Pace University Small Business Development Center invites you to participate in a FREE, virtual presentation – Non-Disclosure Agreements: When Should You Require an NDA, When Should You Sign and NDA – on Wednesday May 1, 2024 at 1:30 PM.

  • The New York City Department of Small Business Services – in partnership with the Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation and Accompany Capital – invites you to attend a FREE, virtual presentation on their Commercial Lease Assistance Program. The presentation will be offered on Thursday March 14, 2024, on Thursday April 11, 2024, and on Thursday May 9, 2024. Each presentation is scheduled from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM. For additional information visit nyc.gov/commlease, call 888-SBS-4NYC, or contact Tsetan Dekyi at tdekyi@accompanycapital.org.

  • World Trade Week New York City 2024 officially launches with a Kick-Off Event on Thursday May 9, 2024 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Participation in-person is $35 at Baruch College, 121 East 25th Street, 7th Floor in Manhattan. Participation virtually is FREE. Registration is required.

     

Bronx - 

Brooklyn -

  • Season Six of the Brooklyn Public Library’s BKLYN Fashion Academy is about to launch. This 16-week course enables local, nascent fashion designers to channel their creative talent through a series of classes and hands-on labs which hone their skills and develop their business knowledge using Brooklyn Public Library resources. Designers selected for the Academy will also create a capsule collection to be featured at BPL’s September 2024 Fashion show. Five information sessions are scheduled in March 2024 – two in-person and three virtual. Register to attend one of these sessions for more details about the Academy and how to apply.

  • The 21st annual Brooklyn Public Library PowerUp Business Plan Competition launches in Spring 2024. Participants will have the opportunity to win $20,000 to start their Brooklyn-based business. Information sessions are scheduled in March 2024 and April 2024 – three virtual and two in-person. Register to attend one of these sessions for more details about the Competition and how to apply.

  • The Freelancers Hub invites you to join them at a FREE hybrid event – 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Entering a Contract – on Wednesday April 3, 2024 from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM. The presentation will be offered virtually and in-person at the Freelancers Hub, 241 37th Street, Suite A326 in Industry City.

  • Hot Bread Kitchen is launching a new training program – Culinary Pathways for New New Yorkers – designed to address the urgent need for migrant support services. This new program will provide hands-on instruction on basic culinary and baking techniques, food safety, and other kitchen fundamentals, specially tailored to the needs of newly arrived New Yorkers with Temporary Protected Status or migrants who are authorized to work. Applicant interviews begin the week of April 8, 2024. Training runs Monday – Friday April 15, 2024 – May 24, 2024, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, followed by ESOL instruction from 1:15 PM – 4:15 PM. This in-person training will take place at Hot Bread Kitchen @ City Harvest, 171 53rd Street in Brooklyn [Sunset Park].

  • Beginning Thursday, January 4, 2024 the Pace University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is offering FREE, weekly, one-on-one business advisement at Brooklyn Public Library’s Business & Career Center. These business advisement sessions are available to existing small businesses and to aspiring entrepreneurs. Visit their  calendar to make an appointment.

  • The Brooklyn Public Library Business and Career Center’s new workforce advancement program – LevelUp - is designed to help Black women get to the next stage professionally and build wealth. The 10-week courses – sponsored by the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women initiative - provides mentoring, financial coaching and in-depth knowledge on key industries where Black women have a low percentage of employment. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis for all cycles.
     

Queens -

  • The Queens Public Library’s Flushing Library - in collaboration with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism - presents Writing for the Ear, a Radio and Podcast Workshop, a graduate-level class on writing effectively for radio and podcast storytelling. The workshop will be offered virtually and in-person on Wednesday March 20, 2024 from 6:30 – 7:15 PM at the Flushing Library, 41-17 Main Street in Flushing.

  • The Queens Economic Development Corporation’s seven-part, FREE, virtual TEES series – Using AI in Your Business Marketing – will run from Monday March 4, 2024 – Wednesday March 28, 2024. The first six modules are scheduled 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM. The March 28, 2024 module is scheduled 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Contact Bhavna at bpunjwani@queensny.org for more information..

  • The Queens Economic Development Corporation invites you to participate in their FREE, virtual program - Women’s History Month: Bootstrapping to $1 Million Dollars – on Thursday March 28, 2024 from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. This event features classes, a panel discussion by experts, and networking opportunities.

  • The next Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project Virtual Legal Clinic – in partnership with the Queens Economic Development Corporation – is scheduled for Thursday April 11, 2024. The 45-minute consultation slots are scheduled at 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM and at 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM. Registration is required.

  • The Queens Economic Development Corporation’s next TEES series – presented in partnership with the Pace University Small Business Development Center - launches in April 2024. Raising Money Through Crowdfunding is a FREE, virtual, four-part series scheduled on four consecutive Thursdays: April 11, 2024, April 18, 2024, April 25, 2024, and May 2, 2024. Each module runs from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.

  • On July 26, 2023, the Port Authority of NY & NJ announced the launch of the JFK Institute of Concessions (IOC), a community development initiative designed to equip local and diverse businesses with the knowledge and applied skills necessary to successfully operate concessions at JFK Airport. The IOC teaches vital competencies that cover a range of topics including, but not limited to, Airport 101, financial investments, design and buildout, legal operating models, security and customer experience. Participants will also have exposure to day-to-day operations of airport concessions and will practice responding to solicitations through mock role-play activities. Graduates of the IOC will serve as a curated pool of competent local and diverse businesses for the Port Authority and its partners to consider as potential concessionaires through a competitive bidding process. For any questions about the IOC, send an email to Info.Concessions@panynj.gov.
     

Staten Island -

  • The Staten Island Economic Development Corporation’s in-person 25th Annual Business Conference is scheduled for Thursday April 18, 2024 at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1100 South Avenue. Many events are FREE and open to the public.

  • The Staten Island Economic Development Corporation [SIEDC] is launching the Veteran and Immigrant-Owned Business Incubator Program. The program's goal is to assist and support these targeted businesses via SIEDC programs and services. To apply for the program contact Jacqueline Diaz at 718-477-1400, ext 829, or jacqueline@siedc.org.

 

Other Locations -