Preppers—people who actively prepare for emergencies—often face challenges finding reliable resources, trustworthy suppliers, and local communities. While online forums and trade shows exist, they tend to be either too scattered or overly commercial, leaving a gap for practical, community-driven solutions.

Building a Local Prepper Network

One way to address this gap is by organizing local events, from small meetups to larger expos, where preppers can connect, learn, and purchase gear. These events could include:

• Networking: Opportunities to meet like-minded individuals and form mutual-aid groups.
• Workshops: Hands-on training in skills like food preservation, emergency medicine, or off-grid energy.
• Vendor access: Curated booths with high-quality gear, often demonstrated live.

A digital platform could complement these events, offering forums, webinar recordings, and tools to coordinate local groups.

Engaging Stakeholders

Different groups stand to benefit from such an initiative:

• Attendees: Gain knowledge, community, and access to vetted products.
• Vendors & speakers: Get exposure to an engaged audience and potential sales.
• Organizers: Could generate revenue through ticket sales, vendor fees, and sponsorships.

To ensure quality, vendors and speakers could be vetted through reviews, demonstrations, and partnerships with reputable local businesses.

Execution Strategy

Starting small could help validate demand and refine the approach:

1. Phase 1 (MVP): Free monthly meetups at community centers, focusing on a single skill with a local expert.
2. Phase 2: Ticketed workshops with hands-on training and pop-up vendor sales.
3. Phase 3: Annual expos with multiple tracks, keynote speakers, and vendor halls.

Marketing could target diverse audiences—social media for casual preppers and specialized forums for hardcore survivalists—while emphasizing universal preparedness to avoid stigma.

Unlike national expos or informal meetups, this approach combines local community building with structured education and commerce, filling a unique niche in the prepper ecosystem.