EC Program![]()
The conference features business, motivational, and leadership seminars designed to empower and benefit emerging and established minority businesses.
| WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012 | |
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| 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Exhibitor Move-In |
| 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Registration
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| 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Equity Date with an Angel Don’t miss this peer-to-peer networking session that encourages entrepreneurs to find synergies and mutually rich opportunities. First, though, why not take a meeting with an angel? We’ll have angel investors on hand to hear your ideas, critique you pitch, and give you expert tips on how best to jump-start your venture. Our “speed dating” format guarantees face time with eager investors; maximizing opportunities for small business owners looking to grow. Speakers:
Moderator:
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| 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. | Welcome Reception Hosted by Nationwide Insurance Experience good food, great networking, and a little Midwestern hospitality at the Entrepreneurs Conference formal meet-and-greet affair. |
| THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2012 | |
| 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Registration
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| 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Teenpreneur Conference Hosted by Wendy’s International |
| 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. | Continental Breakfast Hosted by PepsiCo |
| 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Digital Lounge
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You’re out of the office but never out of reach. Find a comfy corner and enjoy first-rate Wi-Fi while you check messages and conduct business.
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| 8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. |
Opening Remarks
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| 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. | One-on-One Conversation Hosted by Nationwide Insurance Join us for an an in depth conversation with TV Host & Journalist, Tavis Smiley
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| 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. | Session 1A To the Source: Doing Business in Africa Hosted by FedEx The “mother continent” is the growth market of the millennium—ignoring it is not an option for the savvy, globally minded entrepreneur you are. Still, capturing opportunities in Africa presents daunting challenges. It’s a complex and volatile environment that demands acute care and preparation if you’re going to succeed. This session will offer invaluable insights from a learned panel of entrepreneurs who know the cultural, political, and economic landscape of the continent and can help you pinpoint specific areas of opportunity. Speakers:
Moderator:
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| 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. | Session 1B Social Media X Factor: Take Your Business Marketing Strategy to the Next Level Now! The effectiveness of social media is indisputable. And more and more industries are “liking” Facebook, Twitter, and other service for generating leads, engaging stakeholders, and maximizing brand awareness. But like everything else, social media moves forward, and you better stay ahead of the curve. This demonstration is designed to do just that with strategies and best practices you need to optimize your business development. Your social media strategy is about to get an upgrade! Speakers:
Moderator:
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| 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Business Coaching: One on One with a Venture capitalist Here’s the kind of hands-on session that BLACK ENTERPRISE is known for and does better than anyone. This is a rare opportunity to bring your critical business questions and concerns directly to BE and get candid, personalized insights on how to take your business to the next level from a skilled angel investor. You can’t afford to miss this one! Sign up at registration. First come, first serve. Consultants:
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| 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Session 2A Finance Session – “Where is the Money?” Hosted by Fifth Third Bank Looking to raise capital to grow your enterprise and finding the tap dry? Well, investment dollars to fund your dream are out there and our top-level panel of venture capitalists, angel investors, and banking professionals will tell you where to look—and how to get them. Speakers:
Moderator:
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| 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Session 2B Merger Ahead: The Art of Strategic Partnerships & Mergers and Acquisitions Strategic alliances, joint ventures; approached intelligently, open the door to faster growth with the benefit of shared economic risk. There are pitfalls and roadblocks to successful partnerships, to be sure, but this session will help to unlock the secrets to forming strategic alliances that expand your reach into new markets, jump-start product development, and broaden access to new management expertise. In the best collaborations, everyone comes out a winner. Speakers:
Moderator:
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| 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Small Business Awards Luncheon Hosted by Ariel Investments This year’s small business award candidates put their talent and ingenuity on the line amid the harshest economic environment in memory and came out winners. Join us as we honor the best in small business. Plus, be sure to look out for BE‘s exclusive “one-on–one” conversation with world renowned chef, Marcus Samuelsson! Interview by:
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| 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m | Deal Makers Expo—Where Deals Are Made! Join world-class corporate exhibitors and your fellow attendees for quality one-on-one exchanges. Get Your Business Online Hosted by Google
Join this class room-style workshops, to be led by a staff of Google experts, providing one-on-one consultation with Entrepreneurs Conference attendees, including businesses looking to launch new websites, as well as companies looking to optimize already established websites for their businesses. Among the valuable assets entrepreneurs will gain from the 1-hour workshops are online tools and training from Google team experts, as well as custom search engine optimization (SEO) strategies for their businesses. Topics covered by each workshop are as follows:
Grow Your Business Online
Promote Your Business Online
The workshops and free consulting services being delivered by Google.
Fast Lanes: Take advantage of the opportunity to get in the fast lane for this 15 minute fast fact presentation from our sponsors. This session is limited to 50 participants on a first come, first seated basis. Learn & Go!
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm -
Big Opportunities in Education Entrepreneurship: Doing Well by Doing Good
Hosted by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The emerging market in education technology tools is transforming how students learn and teachers teach. This session will focus on business opportunities in the growing market for technology tools that can help address students’ individual learning needs, support teachers in their work, and help schools operate more effectively.
Facilitator: Henry Hipps, Senior Program Officer, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
3:30 pm – 3:45 pm – Hosted by Nationwide Insurance
The Ultimate Merger: YOU + Nationwide
Want to have more control of your income and your career? Own a business! Learn about becoming a Nationwide agent. 4:15 pm – 4:30 pm - Hosted by Nationwide Insurance
Team Up with Nationwide
Grow your business in more ways than one. Learn about our supplier diversity program and becoming a partner with Nationwide
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2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
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Session 3A Corporate Procurement Game: Operating Small, Selling Big Corporate America spends more than $100 billion on goods and services provided by companies like yours—and big buyers are looking to do even more business. Many of the nation’s top publicly, privately, and foreign-owned firms, as well as universities, hospitals, and other buying institutions, have supplier diversity programs in place. Don’t get left out. Our panel of corporate procurement officers will share their inside tips with minority business owners on how they can get a fair share of those dollars. Speaker:
Moderator:
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| 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Session 3B- Getting Uncle Sam to Want What You’re Selling Hosted by American Express The United States government is the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services … to the tune of more than $225 billion annually. CEOs and other representatives of the nation’s most successful African American-owned companies want to let you in on the do’s and don’ts of bidding for Uncle Sam’s business and landing that long-term, high-dollar contract. Get the priceless perspectives of BE 100′s CEOs on which agencies offer the greatest opportunities, how to navigate government requirements and paperwork, and the basic DNA structure of a winning bid. Uncle Sam wants you! Are you prepared?
Speaker:
Moderator:
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| 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | BE Small Business Success™ Boot Camp A- Going Mobile Knowledge is power, in business and in life. Unfortunately, preserving and leveraging company knowledge in today’s competitive and fast-paced business environment is a greater challenge than ever before. Business owners must act quickly and smartly to maintain the integrity of their intellectual assets. With revenue and earning potential at stake, leaks can be fatal. But where do you start? Here … with boot camp training to help you meet the challenge. Facilitator:
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| 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | BE Small Business Success™ Boot Camp B-Brain Security – How to Protect Your Intellectual Property Knowledge is power, in business and in life. Unfortunately, preserving and leveraging company knowledge in today’s competitive and fast-paced business environment is a greater challenge than ever before. Business owners must act quickly and smartly to maintain the integrity of their intellectual assets. With revenue and earning potential at stake, leaks can be fatal. But where do you start? Here … with boot camp training to help you meet the challenge. Facilitator:
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| 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. | Going Up! The Elevator Pitch Competition is Back Hosted by PepsiNext Another popular BE exclusive! Bring your best 60-second business pitch and go head-to-head with your fellow attendees in this exhilarating, high-stakes competition. Remember, sometimes success boils down to a single fateful elevator ride. Be ready for it! The Grand Prize winner will be awarded $10,000, plus gain the opportunity to take advantage of an 8-week mentoring workshop with The CASHFLOW! Host:
Judges:
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| FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2012 | |
| 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Registration
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| 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Teenpreneur Conference Hosted by Wendy’s International |
| 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. | Continental Breakfast Hosted by PepsiCo |
| 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Digital Lounge Powered by Dell You’re out of the office but never out of reach. Find a comfy corner and enjoy first-rate Wi-Fi while you check messages and conduct business.
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| 8:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Morning Keynote
Join us for this motivational address from this award-winning entrepreneur who started her multimiliion-dollar business more than 30 years ago with one phone line an $1500.
Speaker:
Introduction by:
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| 9:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Session 4A Sourcing Capital for Your Tech Startup Amazon and Facebook are online institutions, but they began as startups. And like those giants, today’s fledgling tech companies are going to have to take some bold steps to fulfill their potential, whether they are part of an incubator or in an accelerator program. This session, led by crackerjack entrepreneurs and tech experts, will take you down the right path with insights on how to raise money from venture capitalists, angel investors, and other funders to get your company where it needs to be. Speakers:
Moderator:
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| 9:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Session 4B Turning Your Dream Business Into a Franchise Thinking of going the franchise route with your business? Perhaps becoming the next Subway or Century 21-caliber global enterprise? First you need to know if your business is franchise-worthy … what steps you need to take to develop a workable franchise model … and what regulatory costs and hurdles are involved. This session has the answers. Two successful entrepreneurs and a franchising expert will discuss how to take a business to multiunit franchise operation. Global domination begins here! Speakers:
Moderator:
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| 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Business Coaching: One on One with a Venture Capitalist Here’s the kind of hands-on session that BLACK ENTERPRISE is known for and does better than anyone. This is a rare opportunity to bring your critical business questions and concerns directly to BE and get candid, personalized insights on how to take your business to the next level from a skilled angel investor. You can’t afford to miss this one! Sign up at registration. First come, first serve. Consultants:
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| 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Session 5A No Store? No Problem! The Virtual Seller Not long ago, starting a retail outlet meant budgeting for rent, staff, utilities, and having enough inventory on hand to fill your displays. Today, retail space is no longer a given in the retail business. Hear from innovative small business owners who are deploying various retail models to bypass the costs of brick-and-mortar retailing, such as online retail, food trucks, pop-up shops, and flea markets. Speakers:
Moderator:
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| 10:45 p.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Session 5B Building Your Brand Through Reality TV TV is more than a guilty pleasure; it’s big business. And there are opportunities to be mined from the world of hot mess dramas and diva meltdowns. Join this panel of genuine reality personalities who’ve managed to outlast their 15 minutes of reality TV fame by leveraging it into profitable business ventures, product lines, and retail endorsements. Speaker:
Moderator:
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| 12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Lunch On Your Own |
| 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Deal Makers Expo- Where Deals Are Made! Join world-class corporate exhibitors and your fellow conference attendees for quality one-on-one exchanges. Join world-class corporate exhibitors and your fellow attendees for quality one-on-one exchanges. Get Your Business Online Hosted by Google
Join this class room-style workshops, to be led by a staff of Google experts, providing one-on-one consultation with Entrepreneurs Conference attendees, including businesses looking to launch new websites, as well as companies looking to optimize already established websites for their businesses. Among the valuable assets entrepreneurs will gain from the 1-hour workshops are online tools and training from Google team experts, as well as custom search engine optimization (SEO) strategies for their businesses. Topics covered by each workshop are as follows:
Grow Your Business Online
Promote Your Business Online
The workshops and free consulting services being delivered by Google.
Fast Lanes: Take advantage of the opportunity to get in the fast lane for this 15 minute fast fact presentation from our sponsors. This session is limited to 50 participants on a first come, first seated basis. Learn & Go!
Fast Lanes: Take advantage of the opportunity to get in the fast lane for this 15 minute fast fact presentation from our sponsors. This session is limited to 50 participants on a first come, first seated basis. Learn & Go!
3:15 pm – 3:30 pm
Hosted by Nationwide Insurance
The Ultimate Merger: YOU + Nationwide
Want to have more control of your income and your career? Own a business! Learn about becoming a Nationwide agent. |
| 1:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Session 6A African American Business: Is your Company Fiscally Fit? Hosted by MassMutual The choices you make today determine the type of legacy you leave tomorrow. Join our panel of financial experts to learn about what’s keeping African American business owners up at night in light of the economic downturn and what YOU can do today to maintain, and grow a fiscally fit business for a thriving tomorrow.
Remarks:
Speakers:
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| 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. | BE Small Business Success™ Boot Camp C – Mastering the Search Engine for $$$ When customers Google the service or product you offer, will they see the name of your business pop up? If not, youre losing potential sales by the thousands to your competition. You can do something to change that with paid and organic search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Googles Chris Genteel will get you started on an SEO/SEM business development strategy to solidify your business presence online. Delve into lessons learned from case studies of top brands while learning the basics of integrating digital strategy and traditional media, building consumer trust and engagement, and tips on how to develop content that builds and maintains high search rankings. Essential! This session is sponsored by Accelerate with Google. Facilitator:
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| 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. | BE Small Business Success™ Boot Camp D – Mobile Marketing It’s time to make mobile work for your business! Join us for this panel which will be discussing burgeoning marketing opportunities for business owners who are ready to join and embrace the mobile revolution. Come and begin to map out your personalized plan to promote your brand, products, and services through mobile devices. Facilitator:
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| 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Session 6B Sisters Inc.: Bouncing Back Hosted by Walmart Setbacks- we’ve all had them, in our businesses, careers … and in our private lives. But we are resilient—and we will rise! Prepare to be inspired by a panel of powerful women entrepreneurs who’ve been to the brink and fought their way back … and are eager to share their experiences in order to help others triumph over their trials. Attendees will learn how to become active participants in their own professional and personal growth. Learn from women who have been there: You can master the tools and skills you need to turn adversity into hope, and challenge into achievement. It begins with faith and the belief that you can bounce back. Speakers:
Moderator:
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| 6:30p.m. – 7:45 p.m. | BE 100s Pre Awards Reception Hosted by Dell Come and join us as we toast the best and the brightest in the business.
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| 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. | BE 100s Anniversary Celebration & Awards Dinner Hosted by Dell Our stay in Chicago culminates with our biggest event! Come to our spectacular gala, and celebrate 40 years of recognizing the most compelling and inspiring business success stories.
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| SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012 | |
| DEPARTURE | |
