Business Idea: Career Fairs at Trade Shows and Industry Events

Hiring A+ team members that fit your corporate culture is a serious challenge. In fact, talent is the most pressing challenge for almost all successful startups I know. Earlier today I was talking to an economic development person brainstorming ideas to help with the talent shortage and came up with a simple one:

Business idea – A service that runs career fairs outside trade shows and industry events.

Since the trade show and industry event attendees are already in the physical city for a specific event, it’s much easier for a local employer to try and sell them on the area and the position in person. Now, some interaction would need to be discrete as people that are gainfully employed don’t want to have their co-workers seeing them talk about a new job. The economics are easy based on the fees paid to recruiters to fill positions, especially specialized skills in high demand.

Economic development agencies should be supportive as well since it’s much better for a company to employee someone locally instead of a in a different area so that all the taxes paid and money spent by the person go into the local economy. Yes, economic development is a zero sum game but it’s a game that’s still played on a regular basis.

Trade shows and industry events have a unique, captive audience that should be tapped for talent by local firms. It isn’t the easiest or most direct form of recruiting but getting great talent is never easy.

What else? What are your thoughts on the idea of a business that runs career fairs at trade shows and industry events for markets with sought-after talent?