More than 13,000 businesses have registered for the first fall edition of Small Business Expo in New York City. The free, one-day event runs Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Javits Center. The agenda puts artificial intelligence alongside hiring, taxes, and business valuation, the same issues local owners deal with every day.
Key Takeaways
- Small Business Expo has added a fall date to its New York calendar, with a spring show following on April 29, 2027.
- General admission is free and includes the exhibit floor, networking sessions, and select workshops.
- More than a dozen sessions on the October 15 agenda include AI in their titles, covering topics from cybersecurity to AI-driven search visibility.
- A morning workshop titled “How to Hire Without Resumes” focuses on verification-based hiring for frontline businesses.
- The expo is timed to National Small Business Week.
- Partner organizations include the Queens Chamber of Commerce, the Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce, SCORE, and the New York State Department of Labor.
A Second New York Date Reflects Demand From Local Owners
Small Business Expo previously held one New York show each year. For 2026 and 2027, organizers have split the calendar into a spring event and a fall event, both at the Javits Center on Manhattan’s far West Side. The company says demand drove the change, and the registration count backs that up. More than 13,000 sign-ups for a first-year fall edition shows how many owners across the five boroughs and the tri-state area want face time with peers, vendors, and advisors before year-end planning begins.
The timing works in the fall show’s favor. Mid-October is when many owners set fourth-quarter staffing, review tax positions, and lock in vendor contracts for the next year. A free, single-day event a block from the 7 train’s 34 St-Hudson Yards station asks very little of a café owner in Astoria or a two-person agency in Gowanus.
AI Moves From Novelty to Line Item
The agenda shows a shift in how the conversation around artificial intelligence has changed for small operators. Sessions are no longer pitched as introductions to the technology. Instead, the titles read like operational problems. “AI, Cybersecurity and Your Business: What Could Go Wrong?” addresses risk. “AI Agents: What’s Happening and How Not to Fall Behind” addresses competitive pressure. “The Hidden Website Signals Shaping AI Recommendations” deals with a newer worry: how AI search tools describe a local business to potential customers.
The 11:15 a.m. keynote, “AI Is an Accelerator, Not a Strategy,” is led by Takicha and Warrick Roundtree of The Brand Amplifiers. Its premise is that the tools only help owners who already know what they are trying to accomplish. For the owner of a five-person shop, that framing is more useful than another product demo.
Hiring Gets Equal Billing
Staffing sits right next to AI on the schedule. The first workshop block opens with “How to Hire Without Resumes,” presented by Chris Fairley, founder of Vetano. Vetano is a verification-first hiring platform where candidates apply with ID verification and video proof of their skills. The approach is aimed at restaurants, automotive shops, and other trades where a resume says little about whether someone can do the job.
A related afternoon session, “Beyond the Resume: Let Your Work Speak for You,” comes from ClockedinNow co-founders Rahsaan Hall and Nathaniel Hall. Having two sessions on the same theme suggests that frontline hiring is a pressing concern for the owners filling these rooms.
Taxes, Valuations, and Compliance Fill the Afternoon
The Small Business Expo program leans practical in its later blocks. Workshops cover S-corporation elections, tax strategy for landlords, federal contracting through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the risks of do-it-yourself legal agreements. Weld Valuations presents “What’s Your Business Worth? What Buyers and Lenders Look For,” a session for owners thinking about succession or financing.
Compliance is a live issue for New York City operators this fall. Businesses that sell subscriptions are still adjusting to the city’s new Click to Cancel rule requiring one-step subscription cancellations, which took effect October 1. Owners heading to the Javits Center with questions about recurring billing will find vendors and advisors on the floor who handle that kind of change.
Founder Stories Anchor the Keynote Stage
The 1 p.m. keynote features founders who pitched their companies on a nationally televised investor show. One of them is Vlad Smolyanskyy, a Ukrainian-born entrepreneur who arrived in Brooklyn as a teenager with no contacts or capital and co-founded Pinblock at 18. Another is Juan Salinas, a New Jersey-based food scientist who founded Perfect Life Nutrition. Customer experience coach John Formica closes the keynote program at 3:15 p.m.
Networking Is Built Into the Format
Small Business Expo runs speed networking sessions throughout the day, along with industry meet-ups grouped by sector, including professional services, retail and e-commerce, hospitality, and creative fields. Attendees also receive color-coded “Get Dotted” badges that identify their industry at a glance, which shortens the search for relevant contacts on a crowded floor.
FAQs
When and where is the NYC Small Business Expo?
The fall NYC Small Business Expo takes place Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Javits Center in Manhattan. The closest subway stop is 34 St-Hudson Yards on the 7 line.
Is the NYC Small Business Expo free to attend?
Yes. General admission is free and covers the exhibit floor, networking sessions, and select educational workshops. Registration is done online through Small Business Expo.
What topics will the workshops cover?
Workshops cover AI adoption, cybersecurity, hiring, taxes, S-corporation elections, business valuation, marketing, and federal contracting. More than a dozen sessions focus on AI.
Will there be another NYC Small Business Expo?
Yes. Small Business Expo has scheduled a spring New York City show for April 29, 2027, also at the Javits Center.
Who should attend the Small Business Expo?
The event is built for small business owners, startup founders, and B2B service providers in New York City and the surrounding tri-state area.
