RICE’s First Fridays Lineup Expands Into The Workday

The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) started its First Fridays, which is already a big success.

The term “First Fridays” carries a distinct motif in almost every major city. It’s the end of the typical work week, a chance to finally let loose or be free of the grueling demands of Monday through Friday for a day or two. Event venues, club promoters, and nightlife connoisseurs alike take full advantage, religiously, each month.

But there’s a new event in Atlanta’s downtown neighborhood that aims to reimagine that first Friday of the month for local entrepreneurs and business professionals, and the city is taking notice.

This past December, the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) started its First Fridays: Winter Workshop, a free, day-long conference that gathered nearly a dozen Fortune 500 companies and at least 300 registrants to network, learn, and educate under one roof.

Corporate sponsors and business leaders had the opportunity to scout talent and establish deeper bonds with the communities they serve, while attendees gained valuable insight, practical business tools, and opportunities to network with founders across multiple industries. “Each [workshop] contained valuable, timely insight I needed,” attendee Mark Gaskins said of the event.

The December workshops were so successful that it picked up again in February. Sponsors and bookings are confirmed through May.

Most entrepreneurs and business professionals pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, for similar conferences. Early in the event’s conception, Dr. Quintin Bostic, RICE’s vice president of partnerships, decided this one should be free and open to all.

“Times are tough, and I never want someone’s financial standing to get in the way of their learning or economic mobility,” he said.

RICE’s own entrepreneurial community—rightfully termed Stakeholders within the organization’s ecosystem—have the most flexibility in the event, with options to profit as a vendor, disseminate their individual expertise as a workshop leader, or gain functional business tools and insights as an attendee. They also get first dibs at registration. Seats are expected to fill up quickly for entry.

Events will also feature a social mixer—a popular part of many conferences, that will give entrepreneurs even greater access to each other and the Russell Center’s new facilities. Future events will also feature keynote speakers, which will include prominent businesspeople and a few surprise appearances as the series grows.

It’s a deal that can’t be beaten; as long as you register while space is available, you’re guaranteed entry into a place where top executives are eager to teach you what they know. Registration for First Fridays: Workshop Series is now open, but you’ll have to register soon. Opportunities like this can max out quickly, so make sure you’re on that list if you want to be in the mix.

To stay up to date on RICE’s events, subscribe to their newsletter at russellcenter.org or follow the organization on Instagram at @riceatlanta.