The 9th annual Business & Leadership Conference, presented by the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), will be held in Chicago for the first time, Aug. 7-10 at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel.
The conference connects local and national LGBT businesses with NGLCC's corporate partners, including IBM, American Airlines, Ernst & Young, Wells Fargo, Aetna, UPS and others—all committed to developing a positive environment for the LGBT business community.
The yearly conference, held in Las Vegas last year, includes a series of business symposia, keynote speakers, panel discussions and special events designed to educate and connect attendees. Various tracks of programming are designed to meet the interests and needs of LGBT business owners and entrepreneurs, allied companies and NGLCC affiliate chambers from around the country.
More than 500 people are expected to attend.
"The NGLCC's annual Business & Leadership Conference will connect LGBT business owners, affiliate chamber leaders, and national corporate partners to learn more about certification and opportunities for LGBT business owners to grow their companies," said Victoria Fulkerson, NGLCC vice president of corporate relations and supplier diversity.
"The conference's primary focus is to provide a forum for LGBT entrepreneurs to expand their networks and gain insight on new opportunities. The conference also provides a forum for corporate representative to benchmark and compare best practices for engaging the LGBT business community, while affiliate chamber leaders strategize on how they will lead their community's LGBT business organizations to new heights.
"The NGLCC brings together our members to exchange ideas, strategies, and results as well as celebrate their successes. Over three days, attendees can expect meaningful and substantive seminars, extended networking connections, and practical expert advice from leading entrepreneurs, corporate representatives, and community leaders."
There were about 420 registered attendees at the 2011 conference, held at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, and, for the first time, organizers integrated social media into the conference. This included a designated social media lounge on-site with scrolling Twitter feeds.
"The social media lounge generated a new component of meaningful interaction happening in real-time," Fulkerson said. "In addition, the NGLCC team and leadership challenged attendees to connect via social media in a way that has truly strengthened the interconnectivity of our member network beyond the conference and into 2012."
Also new in 2011 was the debut of the popular 'Roll the Dice' contest, similar in concept to the ABC-TV show Shark Tank. (Incidentally, Barbara Corcoran—one of the entrepreneur "sharks" featured on that show—is slated to speak at this conference.) During this general plenary session, three competitive and unique LGBT business owners took to the stage to pitch their business expansion ideas to four venture capitalists and financial experts. The experts judged the pitches and opened up dialogue on specific business challenges faced by entrepreneurs searching for capital.
"Chicago has a robust LGBT community with many excellent LGBT-owned companies," Fulkerson said. "The city and surrounding area is also home to many of the NGLCC's corporate partners and companies that are making significant efforts to connect with the LGBT business community. We are excited to work in partnership with our affiliate chamber in the area, the Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, to engage local LGBT entrepreneurs as attendees, participants and our local partners in producing this event."
Organizers are hoping for at least 25 percent of the attendees to be from Chicago and the surrounding area.
"Our conference excels at fostering business relationships and developing new opportunities," Fulkerson said. "Attendees will no doubt walk away with strong new and renewed connections as well as potential customers. We expect to have a high number of certified LGBT-owned business enterprises (LGBTBEs) that will be attending our conference for the first time this year. They will have the chance to cultivate long-lasting relationships with fellow entrepreneurs, corporate representatives, and community leaders alongside our members that attend year after year."
Fulkerson said Chicago was chosen as the host city because it is, "the nexus and heart of the American Midwest." Plus, she added, "Chicago's allure is born from its diverse community and hub for global enterprise. Our affiliate, the Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, has been a huge advocate for bringing the conference to Chicago."
The conference is geared toward LGBT business owners looking to strengthen their company and access new customers, educational resources, and a strong network of advocates for their future growth and success, Fulkerson said. "The conference unites affiliate leaders, business owners, and corporate representatives to share best business practices and participating in an ongoing dialogue about LGBT inclusion and diversity.
"The NGLCC's National Business & Leadership Conference aims at highlighting and showcasing remarkable LGBT business talent from across the nation. [Since] the Chicago region is a strong business center, the conference will draw upon our constituents locally as well as nationally. We hope to raise awareness about issues the LGBT business community faces and the unique talent it has to offer. Not only will the conference feature extraordinary leaders in the business world, it will be a forum for the exchange of innovative ideas ranging from solutions to best practices—in the streets of Chicago and around the globe."
For more information about the conference, visit www.nglcc.org/2012conference.
