Did you know that the University of Illinois System's FY19 operating expenses were budgeted at $6.8 billion? Are you a minority, woman, a person with a disability, or veteran small business owner or thinking about starting your own business and want to do business with the UofI System and contribute to that dollar amount? If you said yes, then come meet the decision-makers! The 2019 Diverse Business Opportunity Fair is open to all diverse businesses who desire to do business with the University of Illinois.

The fair will be held on Wednesday, August 28, 2019, at the I-Hotel and Conference Center - Illinois Ballroom, 1900 South First Street, Champaign, IL 61820. This year's fair kicks off at 12:00 p.m. with the fair scheduled from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. A Networking Reception with President Timothy L. Killeen and leadership immediately follows. 

What is the Diverse Business Opportunity Fair?

The Diverse Business Opportunity Fair is part of an initiative organized and sponsored by the University of Illinois System’s Office of Procurement Diversity to increase diversity among university departments and help diverse businesses gain more access to the procurement process.

This exciting event offers face-to-face opportunities for dialogue and networking between diverse business owners and university departments.

Benefits

This event is an excellent opportunity for diverse businesses to:

  • Access university buyers
  • Learn about valuable programs and resources
  • Network with attendees across many industries
  • Become certified as a diverse vendor with the State of Illinois' Business Enterprise Program (It's Free!)
  • Learn how to register with the Illinois Procurement Gateway (IPG) and Higher Education Procurement Bulletin.
  • Contribute to our state’s commitment of growing the economic development of small and diverse-owned businesses.

Our university is constantly seeking out diverse suppliers so we can expand the number of companies participating in the public procurement process. We do this by urging departments to seek quotes from diverse vendors and actively seek out new vendors at vendor fairs and symposiums.

We look forward to your attendance.

Contact Information

Email Shauna Clayborn at srclayb1@uillinois.edu or the Office of Procurement Diversity procurementdiversity@uillinois.edu.