“Small Business Connections: Marketing Meets Microfinancing” Workshop Tour Comes to New Orleans

Accion, NYSE Euronext, and Yelp Bring The Big StartUp to Local Entrepreneurs

Galvez Restaurant, October 10, 6:00PM-8:00PM

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On October 10, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: NYX), Accion and Yelp will bring the NYSE Big StartUp “Small Business Connections: Marketing Meets Microfinancing” nationwide workshop tour to New Orleans. The event will provide local small business owners with two resources vital to growing any business: social media marketing know-how and access to capital. New Orleans marks the eighth stop on the Small Business Connections Tour.

“Without Accion, we could never have moved forward with our business, “ Tracia says. “Accion was make or break for us.”

During the free workshop, Yelp’s Manager of Local Business Outreach, Darnell Holloway, will explain how entrepreneurs can work with major social media platforms, engage with customers online and navigate the world of online reviews.

Regional Market Manager Jarrett Woods of small business lender Accion, which has provided over 100 loans in the New Orleans region, will discuss how to access capital and finance marketing costs with an Accion microloan. Opened in 2009, Accion’s New Orleans office has distributed more than $1.4 million in loans, helping create or sustain nearly 300 area jobs. Both Yelp business outreach staff and Accion loan officers will be present to answer questions and offer personalized consultations to participants.

Additionally, local Accion client Tracia Longowski will share how her microloan of $35,000 helped grow her business by allowing her to purchase five vending machines. Tracia had the unique idea to create health-conscious vending machines that would promote healthy lifestyles and teach children good nutritional habits. She stocks her machine with low-calorie, low-fat options such as dried fruit or organic crackers. “Without Accion, we could never have moved forward with our business, “ Tracia says. “Accion was make or break for us.” Tracia will also tell event participants how she used marketing such as personal outreach, Facebook and partnerships with local community organizations, to grow her business.

“Small Business Connections” is the first small business event tour from the NYSE Big StartUp, a nationwide job creation and business growth initiative that connects small businesses with established corporations, such as Yelp. Launched in March 2012, the NYSE Big StartUp program also integrates the Accion-NYSE Job Growth Fund. This program was started with a $1.5 million commitment by NYSE Euronext, which will provide small businesses and startups with the capital and support they need to grow.

The Small Business Connections tour has proven to be a high-impact resource for local small business owners. Based on data gathered from the tour’s previous events, attendees report learning an average of three new marketing techniques. Networking also played a pivotal role, with participants meeting an average of three other entrepreneurs who could help them expand through new channels.

Event Details

914 N Peters St

New Orleans, LA 70116

October 10, 2012, 6 PM – 8 PM CDT

Registration: http://yelpnola.eventbrite.com/

About Yelp

Yelp (NYSE: YELP) connects people with great local businesses. Yelp was founded in San Francisco in July 2004. Since then, Yelp communities have taken root in major metros across the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Singapore. Yelp had a monthly average of 78 million unique visitors in Q2 2012 (source: Google Analytics). By the end of Q2 2012, Yelpers had written more than 30 million rich, local reviews, making Yelp the leading local guide for real word-of-mouth on everything from boutiques and mechanics to restaurants and dentists. Yelp's mobile application was used on 7.2 million unique mobile devices on a monthly average basis during Q2 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.yelp.com/ or send an email to [e-mail].

About Accion

As the only nationwide micro- and small business-lending network in the United States, Accion connects small business owners with the accessible financing and advice it takes to create or grow healthy businesses. Accion Texas Inc. is the largest member of the Accion U.S. Network and manages the largest microloan portfolio in the U.S. In Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Accion Texas Inc. offers business loans between $500 and $250,000, and up to $5 million in Texas, along with training, networking and other support services for hardworking entrepreneurs. Historically, Accion Texas Inc. has made more than 12,400 loans totaling more than $125 million. For more information, visit www.acciontexas.org.

Since 1991, the five members of Accion’s U.S. Network have collectively made over 44,000 loans, totaling over $320 million. Additionally, over 400,000 business owners across the nation have turned to Accion for financial and business advice via workshops, online tools, and one-on-one consultations. Globally, Accion (www.accion.org) is a pioneer in microfinance, reaching millions of individuals through its international network of partners. For more information on Accion in Boston, please visit www.accionusa.org.

About NYSE Euronext

NYSE Euronext (NYX) is a leading global operator of financial markets and provider of innovative trading technologies. The company's exchanges in Europe and the United States trade equities, futures, options, fixed-income and exchange-traded products. With approximately 8,000 listed issues (excluding European Structured Products), NYSE Euronext's equities markets - the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Euronext, NYSE MKT, NYSE Alternext and NYSE Arca - represent one-third of the world’s equities trading, the most liquidity of any global exchange group. NYSE Euronext also operates NYSE Liffe, one of the leading European derivatives businesses and the world's second-largest derivatives business by value of trading. The company offers comprehensive commercial technology, connectivity and market data products and services through NYSE Technologies. NYSE Euronext is in the S&P 500 index. For more information, please visit: http://www.nyx.com.