Photo courtesy of The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

We live in a noisy world.

From the moment we wake up, something is competing for our attention. Emails. Text messages. Television. News alerts. Social media. Podcasts. Advertising. Our calendars. And, of course, the seemingly endless notifications on our phones.

For a small business, breaking through all of that noise can be incredibly difficult.

You may have an amazing product, provide exceptional service or have a story worth telling—but how do you get people to stop long enough to hear it? How do you introduce your business to a new customer? And how do you build relationships when so much of today's communication happens through a screen?

That is one of the important roles the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce plays in our community.

With more than 1,500 member businesses representing over 60,000 employees throughout our region, we work every day to create opportunities for businesses to be seen, heard and connected. And while we are proud to represent companies of every size, small businesses are truly at the heart of our organization and our local economy.

Sometimes the most valuable thing we can do is simply help create the opportunity for someone to discover a business they didn't know existed.

That's exactly what will happen on Thursday, August 27, from 4:30–7 p.m., when we gather at Robarts Arena for our annual Grand Expo.

All exhibitor booths are officially sold out, with more than 80 businesses ready to showcase who they are and what they do. We are expecting more than 400 attendees to walk through the doors, meet local business owners, discover new products and services and make connections that may lead to their next customer, vendor, partner—or simply a new relationship.

And because this is Sarasota, there will also be plenty of great food and beverages! Some of our area's wonderful restaurants will be providing samples and tastings throughout the evening, making this as much a celebration of our local business community as it is a traditional business expo.

One of the things I love most about events like this is watching connections happen in real time. A conversation begins. A business card is exchanged. Someone says, "I didn't know you did that." And suddenly a new opportunity exists that wasn't there five minutes earlier.

That's the power of bringing people together.

At the Sarasota Chamber, we talk often about being the voice of business. But being a voice also means making sure our businesses have an audience. In an increasingly noisy world, creating spaces where our local businesses can tell their stories, build relationships and be discovered matters more than ever.

I hope you'll join us on August 27 and spend an evening discovering some of the incredible businesses that make Sarasota such a special place to live, work and do business.

Admission is free. Reserve your ticket at sarasotachamber.com.

We'll see you at the Grand Expo!

Heather Kasten is the President/CEO of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

Photo courtesy of The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.