Where can you earn $100, get a massage, grab lunch and dessert, and touch up your lipstick?
It's not a trick question - those services, giveaways and more were available and on display at Wednesday's "SchmoozaPalooza" Business Showcase hosted by the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce at Capitol Plaza Hotel.
More than 100 area businesses showed off what they have to offer at the annual event, which is open to the public following the chamber's Small Business of the Year luncheon and allows businesses to market their products and services, share information, and network with one another.
Many businesses used the showcase as an opportunity for potential customers to sample their services. Catherine Crum the Salon offered free make-up touchups using Bare Minerals products sold at the salon. Riversong Spa & Salon offered passersby free massage demonstrations. Several organizations offered free medical screenings and demos. And go-getters like Hermann Wurst Haus appealed to people's stomachs, handing out freshly cooked bratwursts.
"We come every year," said Connie Vaughan, director of sales at Candlewood Suites. "We like to stay really involved in the community."
Vaughan seized the chance to tell community members about the local hotel's total renovation, set for completion in mid-November.
Others spent their time at the Business Showcase sharing information about new services.
Wash Authority, which has offered residential and commercial pressure washing and window cleaning since 2013, highlighted those services as well as ones the business has started specializing in more - like holiday light installation and removal and exterior cleaning for large commercial buildings using a water-fed pole system.
"There's no need for a ladder or a lift, so you can save a lot," said Karen Loaiza-Wulff, who owns Wash Authority with her husband, Eric Wulff.
And many businesses focused on promoting what they've always done best. Data Comm, for example, offered demonstrations of the information technology company's cloud data storage option and Datto continuity system.
"With a backup your system creates copies you can eventually get," said Jeremiah Turner, strategic business analyst with Data Comm. But the continuity system "has instant virtualization," creating an exact copy of servers and files that can be replicated within minutes if a crash occurs.
"It's something we've offered for a number of years, but we like to show it off," Turner said.
Participants also used the showcase as a business-to-business networking opportunity.
"We just joined the chamber three months ago, and we do a lot of work for people who are also here," Loaiza-Wulff said. "It's really great because I'm able to make those connections."