BDC Small Business Week is a national celebration of Canadian entrepreneurs and their contribution to Canada’s economy. The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has been organizing Small Business Week for 37 years. It takes place every year during the third full week of October. Events held during the week bring together entrepreneurs—and prospective entrepreneurs—at conferences, workshops, luncheons and trade fairs across Canada. The goal is to provide them with opportunities to learn, network, share ideas and socialize with their peers.
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History
Small Business Week began in 1979 when the branches of the Federal Business Development Bank (as BDC was then known) in British Columbia’s Lower Fraser Valley organized a week of small business management training sessions for entrepreneurs. They called the initiative Small Business Week. Employees in British Columbia repeated the experiment the following year and, in 1981, Small Business Week was officially launched nationwide.
Impact
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and local chambers and boards of trade across Canada collaborate with BDC on organizing Small Business Week events. Over the years, other Crown corporations and large companies have also participated as sponsors. Each year, hundreds of activities across Canada attract thousands of business people to Small Business Week. Small Business Week has been a registered trademark of the Business Development Bank of Canada since 1986.
Theme
Each year Small Business Week has a theme reflecting the challenges entrepreneurs face at the time. Here is a list of themes over the past few years:
A national events calendar is maintained by BDC to publicize local events and inform entrepreneurs about what’s happening in their area.