LAPLACE —With the film industry gaining traction in St. John the Baptist Parish, business owners and residents are invited to attend a Lunch & Learn session with information on how to build partnerships with film coordinators and enhance the economic landscape of the region.

Titled “Engaging Your Business with the Film Industry,” the free Lunch & Learn session takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at South Central Louisiana Technical College in Reserve.

Residents are eligible to attend the event at no cost. Registration is open the day of the event online at LSBCD.org.

Tourism and Communications/Film manager Jo Banner will serve as speaker for the session, which is coordinated by St. John Economic Development, Louisiana Small Business Development Center Greater New Orleans and River Parishes Tourism Commission.

Economic Director Jerry W. Jones said Banner has a wealth of knowledge that will assist business owners in becoming aware of resources available to them.

Banner is helping coordinate a Netflix project filming in St. John Parish this spring, and she’s seen the impact film partnerships have on local businesses providing crews with food, lodging, transportation and other services.

Lunch & Learns are held once a month and address various topics to assist in business retention and expansion, according to Jones.

“We look to grow new businesses, but more importantly, we desire to keep our businesses that have already opened and keep them growing,” Brown said.

“Attending sessions like the Lunch & Learns allow us to enable their success with quick training sessions.”

For more information, call 985-652-9569.