Moorpark College’s Business Student Association club is holding its 12th Annual Business Expo on Thursday, April 13 at 2 p.m. in EATM 208. The theme this year is “Networking: Using Connections to Get Ahead”.

The purpose of the event is to bring successful business people in the surrounding area to share their knowledge with students.

“As far as I know, it has always been held in the spring,” said Business Student Association president Mohsin Saleem. “It is sort of that ‘home-run’ event for us in the sense that a lot of meticulous planning and hard work goes into putting the Expo together.”

Last year there were over 400 attendees and they had more students than seats available, Saleem said. This year the Business Student Association is preparing and hoping for another packed house.

The event will follow the same model from last year. Two speakers are expected to present. The first will be Andrey Seas, who is an entrepreneur and business coach who often holds local business events and networking seminars. The second speaker is Greg Van Ness, who is the CEO of Tolman & Wilker Insurance Services, LLC.

According to Saleem, the club has reached out and spoken with business, economics, and accounting classes. Some professors are even offering extra credit for attending the event.

“Students should attend because in today’s globalized world, a lot of students fail to realize that they are competing not just with students in their immediate, local, graduating class, but with students and competition from all over the world,” said Saleem.

The event will include discussions about how to successfully build connections that are useful in the future, whether students end up in business or are trying to transfer and look for a job after college.

“That’s why it is important for students to set themselves apart,” said Saleem. “Networking is one crucial way in today’s world that allows not only successful business people to get ahead, but also students and everyday people to set themselves apart from the competition.”