(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – Missouri Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler will serve as honorary host for a free conference Wednesday, Sept. 25, designed to help the state’s small business owners learn how to become more successful, according to a press release.

The 2013 Missouri Business Conference takes place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Elliott Student Union Room 240 on the University of Central Missouri campus.

Although the event is aimed at small business owners, faculty, staff, students and the general public are invited to attend.  Attendees should pre-register by midnight on Sept. 23. The UCM Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies is co-sponsoring the conference along with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Missouri Small Business and Technology Development Centers, UCM DECA, and Enactus.

Roger Best, dean of the Harmon College, encourages anyone who is interested in learning more about how to succeed in business to attend. He said considering the college’s role in educating future business and organization leaders, the Harmon College is pleased to serve as co-sponsor. He also highlighted what participants can expect from the event.

“The Missouri Business Conference provides assistance to business owners, whether start-ups or well-established, across a spectrum of topics and ideas,” Best said. “Panelists bring a wealth of personal experience in all aspects of business operations, and attendees have an opportunity to learn from these experiences, ask questions relevant to their own businesses, and gain assistance with technical processes such as filing for a fictitious name, setting up social meeting accounts, and filing for a tax identification number.”

“As a business owner, Congresswoman Hartzler serves as host in order to assist Missourians in this vital economic activity,” Best added.

Registration and networking will begin at 8 a.m. in Elliott Student Union Room 234, followed by a welcome and opening remarks by Hartzler at 9 a.m. in Room 240. Lunch and will be provided.

In addition to networking opportunities, those attending can also gain insight into financing a business, the impact creativity and innovation can have on the success of a business, learn how to turn failures into business successes, hear from innovators regarding the use of social media, and gain hands-on experience with social media tools. Anyone who needs help setting up Google Apps, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Hootsuite and Pintrest accounts can get help at one of the demonstration stations.

To register for the conference by Sept. 23 or to obtain additional information, visit MOBusinessConference.eventbrite.com.