Cougs can leave Pullman, but their businesses will bring them together.

WSU alumni will take over Meydenbauer Convention Center in Bellevue this month for the CougsFirst! Trade Show, a networking event that showcases companies owned and managed by Cougars.

CougsFirst! co-founder Glenn Osterhout, a WSU alumnus who serves as chairman of the board, said the non-profit created the trade show last year in an effort to bring alumni in business together.

The goal is to enable alumni and friends to network in a positive business environment through special events, social media, advertising and other forms of marketing, said Jack Thompson, a CougsFirst! co-founder and board member.

To hold the trade show, CougsFirst! needed a space large enough to support a significant increase in booths and visitors. Osterhout said 85 sponsored booths have registered and he expects more than 500 people to attend.

“The show has gotten much larger,” he said. “We needed a larger space.”

The organizers of the trade show plan to use only properties owned or managed by Cougs, said Mary-Jo Laster, an alumna. Laster owns Avid Events, Inc., an event-planning company that serves various groups, businesses, and government agencies.

WSU Athletic Director Bill Moos, also an alumnus, will provide a keynote address at the event. Moos and his wife own a ranch outside Spokane called Special K Ranch, which produces grass-fed, hormone-free, USDA-certified beef.

The trade show will also feature a raffle for lucrative prizes.

“We got two of them,” Osterhout said. “Ten tickets to Coug Night with the Tacoma Rainiers, and that includes tickets to the game, a ballpark meal, 10 WSU-colored Cheney crimson T-shirts, and a VIP field tour. We are also raffling an overnight stay at the Marriott Bellevue Downtown Courtyard, in addition to a magnum of award-winning wine from Gordon Brothers Winery.”

Participants can purchase one of two levels of sponsorship: Crimson and Gray.

Crimson sponsorships cost $750 before they sold out and include a booth to showcase the sponsor’s company or service, company logo on rolling screens, and recognition in the trade show brochure. Crimson companies will also be recognized on the CougsFirst! website and social media sites.

Gray sponsorships cost $250 and include the same promotion as Crimson, but without a booth.

The four-hour event will begin at 4 p.m. April 23. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP on the CougsFirst! website.

Osterhout said it’s important that organizers be able to gauge attendance before the event in order to print name tags and reserve food and beverages.

General admission is free and business casual attire is recommended.