emPOWER Arkansas Expo 2025
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the emPOWER Arkansas Expo on October 21, 2025, at the Wyndham Riverfront in North Little Rock in conjunction with the emPOWER Arkansas Conference.
Building on the momentum of the inaugural 2024 emPOWER Arkansas Expo held at Saline County Career & Technical Campus, this year’s Expo is envisioned as an immersive, hands-on experience just across the hall from the main conference. What better way for students and job seekers to get inspired about energy careers than hearing from those professionals actually doing the work.
Students (7th-12th, technical, trade, and higher education), teachers, job seekers, and community partners will have the opportunity to interact with exhibitors from state/federal/local agencies, businesses, corporations, training institutions, and organizations to learn about careers that exist in the advanced energy industry, including sectors such as:
Renewable energy
Energy efficiency
Electric vehicles
Clean Manufacturing
Transmission and Distribution
Green Building
And more!
Expo Highlights
Interactive Booths featuring advanced energy employers and organizations showcasing careers in energy efficiency, solar, wind, EVs, manufacturing, smart grid, and more.
Career Coaching & Live Interviews to support jobseekers and students with resume, interview, and career planning support, while also having the opportunity to talk directly with industry hiring managers.
Student & SkillSeeker Engagement, offering early exposure to dynamic energy careers to provide the spark needed to pursue necessary training paths.
Bonus Features in the Expo Venue
Live Speaker Sessions, featuring industry leaders and workforce development experts as they highlight career pathways and workforce trends.
Snacks & Networking, creating an inviting atmosphere to foster conversations between students, jobseekers, training entities, and industry representatives.
Fun and Educational Activities, such as minidemos, tech showcases, or energy trivia to bring career exploration to life.
2025 Exhibitors
For Training Entities & Workforce Partners: A chance to observe cutting-edge industry needs and connect with employers for training pipelines and credentialing support.
Energy Career Exposure: Learn about the quality jobs and career progressions available in this fast-growing industry.
Employer Connections: Industry professionals will be ready to talk about skill and credentialling needs for their available roles.
Added Value:
Conference breaks will be held in the expo space - giving exhibitors added exposure to employers and business owners attending the conference.
A conference session, SkillSync geared for Renewable Energy employers, will also be held inside the expo space!
Support Students and Job Seekers: You can send career coaches, career counselors, and related experts to provide live support or wrap around service connections to SkillSeekers in their career path development.
For Businesses & Employers: The emPOWER Arkansas Expo will be a prime platform for your team to promote energy careers, recruit talent, and raise visibility in Arkansas’s energy workforce transformation.
Why Participate?
Promote Energy Careers: Provide table-top equipment, 'tools of the trade', demos, or other interactive opportunities to engage career seekers and community members in advanced energy sectors.
Raise Visibility of the Industry and Your Company: Staff your booth to connect directly with attendees, answer career questions, and distribute materials, showcasing your commitment to Arkansas’ future energy workforce.
Recruit Talent: Send hiring managers, career coaches, career counselors, and related experts to give live support or job interviews to SkillSeekers in their career path development.
Exhibitor Information
What’s Included: A booth includes one 6-foot table with a tablecloth and skirting, as well as two chairs. Power is available upon request. Each participating business will receive one complimentary registration to the concurrent emPOWER Arkansas Conference, which includes lunch. If your booth staff would like to attend sessions, we encourage you to register additional staff to trade off as needed. Additional staff can register for the conference here.
Layout: To ensure a quality experience for schools, groups, job seekers and conference attendees, the number of booths has been limited. Booths will be arranged in an open U-shape to allow maximum exposure for exhibitors and will not have pipe-and-drape backgrounds.
Timing: Businesses should plan to man their booths for the duration of the expo on Tuesday, October 21, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. (it does not have to be one person, staff are welcome to trade off as needed). There will be dedicated times throughout the conference during which attendees will be encouraged to visit the expo and all breaks will be held in the expo space.
What to Bring: We highly encourage exhibitors to include an interactive component to engage and educate students, such as displays, demos or even tools of the trade. A tablecloth will be provided; however, businesses are welcome to bring their own. The 10x10 space is your own to decorate as you see fit (backdrops, signage, etc.). We ask that you limit printed handouts, as they tend to get left behind or thrown in the trash. If you have to print, you can reduce waste by printing double-sided; multiple pages to a sheet; printing in black and white instead of color, and incorporating QR codes for detailed information.
Employers: participate at the expo AND have staff attend emPOWER Arkansas Conference across the hall!
Same time, same place.
Want more exposure for your business? Consider sponsoring.
For Schools, Students & Job Seekers: A singular opportunity to explore real world energy professions, gain career guidance, and potentially land interviews on the spot.
Explore Energy: Even if you’ve never thought about an energy career, this event will expose you to the myriad of quality jobs available in this fast-growing industry.
Get Inspired: Industry professionals will share about their role in the industry, why they do what they do, and what drove them to their chosen professions.
Gain Career Guidance: Hiring managers, career coaches, and professionals will be on hand to provide tailored support for your career and training pathway.