Beatrice is showcasing itself this week, hosting the third-annual Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference. One-hundred five people registered for the conference, which includes seminars, networking and free time to enjoy the community.

Erin Chadwick is the Gage Area Growth Enterprise Marketing Coordinator for Economic Development. During a mid-day break on Wednesday, participants could walk the downtown area and gathered for a photo in front of the Carnegie Building, the home of NGage and the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce.

This past year, the downtown underwent a transformation, with several business owners undertaking store front improvements through a state grant program.

The conference doesn’t shy away from looking at both successes and failures that can occur with the development of a new business in a community.

The Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference is a partnership effort between the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, NGage, the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Beatrice. Topics include leadership, breaking barriers to business transition, building an entrepreneurial ecosystem and community reinvestment, among others.

McCook and Hastings previously hosted the two-day event.