FORSYTH COUNTY — Being serious about business doesn’t always have to be serious business.

On Thursday, the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce held its fourth annual Business Showcase at the Lanier Technical College Forsyth Conference Center, complete with food, activities and networking galore.

Jim Kubicek, president and COO of title sponsor Kubicek Information Technologies, said the event centers on creating relationships between businesses and customers.

“Today is really just about the community,” he said. “Obviously, we have a presence for business, but moreover it’s just about having fun, connecting those businesses with other business that we need to. Through those relationships that we foster, build and maintain, business comes, and it’s about fun and community today.”

Though the showcase was for business, Kubicek said there were also other benefits.

“For consumers, [the benefit is] to find the local businesses that are here so that they don’t have to go out elsewhere, they don’t have to go looking, they’re familiar with what is here in our community,” he said. “And we keep all of our economic growth right here local.”

In a follow-up interview Friday, a chamber official described the event as a success.

“I think the event went very well,” said Jason Mock, the organization’s director of small business service. “Our vendors enjoyed the event. The feedback we’ve heard from them was that they felt the quality of attendees was very high and overall the experience was a fun one and a good way to network and continue to grow their businesses.”

To keep the atmosphere light, the showcase featured games, prizes, photo booths, caricature artists and plenty of food.  

The event also featured about 60 booths from area businesses.

“We’ve got some apparel items that are the kind of decorating that we do,” said Tim Campbell, owner of Big Frog Custom T-shirts. “We’re giving away free T-shirts. Anyone who signs up for our mailing list, they get a free Big Frog T-shirt on the spot.”

Campbell said the event also offers businesses a way to get to know other companies and their customers.

“I think there are several benefits,” he said. “One is the exposure, just people getting familiar with your brand and refreshing in their mind the brand. And also you’re creating impressions.”

Brittany Nettleton, who was checking out the booths, said she liked to be able to put a face with the businesses.

“It’s great, there are so many new businesses getting their word out and networking and able to meet other people in other industries,” she said.

“The benefit for customers is that they get to meet the owners and know them on a personal level, it’s not just doing business with a company.”