Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a weblog collection that dives into the distinctive enterprise challenges and alternatives of underrepresented enterprise house owners and entrepreneurs. Find out how they’ve grown or scaled their companies, explored entrepreneurial ventures inside their corporations, or created facet hustles, and the way their tales can encourage and inform your personal success.
It might really feel isolating for those who’re the one one within the room who appears such as you.
Assembly friends and mentors with a singular understanding of your lived expertise and enterprise roadblocks might help you join the dots wanted to develop your small business and neighborhood. Nonetheless, discovering areas for this type of connection will be difficult for Black Individuals.
On this publish, uncover in-person and digital occasions nationwide the place Black entrepreneurs can strengthen relationships and construct experience.
Tips on how to Put together for Attending a Convention
The USA Census Bureau reported 3.5 million Black-owned businesses, per the final survey.
Attending conferences, commerce exhibits, workshops, and webinars places you in rooms with shoppers and entrepreneurs who’ve recommendation, real-life examples, and funds that may shift the trajectory of your small business or nonprofit group.
To organize for attending a convention:
- Evaluate the programming, determine which classes to attend, and jot down just a few questions you wish to ask throughout Q&As or one-on-one conferences.
- Pack your small business playing cards, a notepad, and pens.
- Select outfits and sneakers that make you’re feeling comfy and assured.
- Ease any nerves by leaning into the joy of bettering your small business.
By strengthening relationships, sharing experience, and partnering, there are alternatives to create a much bigger pool of sources and open or construct doorways for Black enterprise development.
18 Occasions and Conferences for Black Entrepreneurs in 2024
Florida
1. Black Travel Summit
Dates: October 10 – 13, 2024
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
In celebration of Black tradition and enterprise in journey, the Black Journey Summit brings collectively trade professionals, influencers, and vacationers for a weekend of panels, workshops, vendor procuring, and networking alternatives. The highly-anticipated occasion contains a lineup of leisure, together with a Black heritage and Instagrammable foodie tour and a Black Journey Awards Gala.
2. Black Professionals Summit
Dates: November 22 – 24, 2024
Location: Hollywood, FL
The Black Professionals Community presents the tenth annual Black Professionals Summit for an electrifying alternative. From keynote speeches and panel discussions to interactive workshops, Black professionals convene and study from trade leaders, construct precious relationships, and uncover new alternatives.
Indiana
3. Summer Celebration – Indiana Black Business Expo
Dates: June 24 – 25, 2024
Location: Indianapolis, IN
With a mission to stage the taking part in area of enterprise, the Indiana Black Expo Enterprise Convention permits entrepreneurs to study from executives and specialists. The 2024 convention affords classes and workshops on metropolis, federal, and state contracting alternatives. For example, attendees can hear from funders on how you can improve their capability via entry to capital and specialists on some great benefits of partnerships.
Illinois
4. The Black Women’s Expo
Date: August 2 – 4, 2024
Location: Chicago, IL
Initially an annual expo for small companies and companies, the Black Girls’s Expo, or BWe Subsequent, has developed right into a multi-city life-style exposition. Along with seminars and classes led by trade specialists tackling societal points and matters involving wellness, funds, and constructing generational wealth, this expo additionally supplies vendor alternatives and sources on enterprise possession.
New York
5. CultureCon
Dates: October 5 – 6, 2024
Location: New York, NY
CultureCon, hosted by The Creative Collective NYC, brings collectively inventive entrepreneurs and change-makers who wish to make a cultural influence with their companies and artwork. Attendees can entry activations, hearth chats, and panels with tastemakers, celebrities, and trade specialists. Black-owned corporations may also arrange store at CultureCon’s small enterprise market.
6. Roadmap to Billions Conference
Dates: Might 16 – 18, 2024
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Black Girls Speak Tech, a collective of Black girls tech entrepreneurs and professionals, are the masterminds behind the Roadmap to Billions Conference. In its eighth yr, the convention supplies workshops, sources, and tactical methods for Black girls entrepreneurs trying to foster deep connections, create funding alternatives, and achieve insights from thought leaders throughout industries. Previous audio system embody founders from Official Black Wall Avenue and Black Ambition Alternative Fund.
Ohio
7. Black Tech Week
Dates: July 16 – 18, 2024
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Coinciding with the annual Cincinnati Music Competition, Black Tech Week is a convention for tech professionals and funders. Founders, executives, and specialists communicate on matters starting from fundraising, buyer outreach, the ability of neighborhood, provide chain logistics, content material advertising and marketing, and crafting the way forward for tech and enterprise.
Texas
8. AFROTECH Conference
Dates: November 13 – 16, 2024
Location: Houston, TX
For Black professionals, innovators, engineers, and enterprise capitalists fascinated by all issues tech and Web3, the AFROTECH Convention is three days of fireplace chats, interactive reveals, panels, mixers, pitch competitions, and reside music performances. Matters vary from creating viral merchandise, the creator financial system, strategic enterprise development, how you can elevate funding, cryptocurrency, and extra.
9. Marketing For The Culture Summit
Date: June 6, 2024
Location: Houston, TX
Hosted by the African American Advertising Affiliation, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, and creatives collect on the Advertising for the Tradition Summit to study greatest practices and enhance their abilities in content material creation, monetization, workflows, and extra. This yr’s theme, “Plot Twist – The Artwork of Being a Disruptive Storyteller,” goals to transcend conventional advertising and marketing narratives and problem attendees to redefine their method to storytelling. Periods will contact on the psychology of selling, communication in advertising and marketing, and model archetypes.
10. Summer Celebration Tradeshow & Festival – Texas Black Expo
Dates: Might 17 – 18, 2024
Location: Houston, TX
Celebrating 20 years, the annual Texas Black Expo is an opportunity for small companies, non-profits, and multi-million greenback organizations to assemble beneath one roof to achieve shoppers and generate extra financial development. That includes pro-Soccer Corridor of Famer Shannon Sharpe, the 2024 Tradeshow and Competition will deal with schooling and economics.
11. Black is Tech Conference
Dates: August 19 – 21, 2024
Location: Houston, TX
The Black Is Tech Convention creates a platform for black tech professionals, college students, entrepreneurs, and lovers to entry skilled and enterprise improvement sources. The sixth annual Black is Tech Convention will introduce Houston Black is Tech Week (August 19 – 24) and lots of workshops and core actions. The Expo will supply recruiting and networking alternatives with over 50 corporations.
Virginia
12. Virginia Black Business Expo & Business Conference
Dates: August 2 – 4, 2024
Location: Arlington, VA
Throughout Nationwide Black Enterprise Month, the fifth annual Virginia Black Enterprise Expo options reside demonstrations, enterprise schooling from native trade specialists, networking alternatives, and procuring. Registration for vendor cubicles is completely for Virginia Black Business Directory members. This nonprofit group will increase the visibility of Black-owned companies from Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Washington, D.C.
13. ByBlack Conference
Date: 2024 (TBA)
Location: Washington, D.C.
In partnership between the U.S. Black Chambers Inc. and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, the ByBlack Convention is an annual three-day occasion to encourage collaboration and foster collective financial energy for Black-owned companies. The convention brings collectively entrepreneurs, media house owners, creatives, and company executives to find out how they will scale and get extra visibility for his or her corporations.
New Jersey
14. Juneteenth Black Business Expo
Dates: A number of dates
Places: Madison, NJ (Might 30, 2024), Hackensack, NJ (June 13, 2024)
The New Jersey-based African American Chamber of Commerce (AACCNJ) presents the 2024 Black Expo, themed “The Journey Continues.” The Expo focuses on entrepreneurship and the financial and cultural empowerment of underperforming communities. Breakout session matters vary from expertise Acquisition to digital literacy.
Georgia
15. ForbesBLK Summit
Dates: June 23 – 25, 2024
Places: Atlanta, GA & Digital
The upcoming three-day summit, spearheaded by Forbes and the ForbesBLK neighborhood, brings collectively main executives, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers for partaking and difficult discussions. The inaugural ForbesBLK summit in 2023 mentioned the state of Black capitalism, the way forward for Black entrepreneurialism, and the ability of Black enterprise.
16. Black Enterprise Disruptor Summit
Dates: Might 17 – 18, 2024
Location: Atlanta, GA
The Black Enterprise Disruptor Summit is a premier enterprise convention that gives empowering alternatives for Black entrepreneurs, innovators, buyers, and creatives. Hosted by Nationwide, the Summit goals to assist construct million-dollar companies to the following stage via entry to expert-led hearth chats, networking mixers, and different inventive instruments.
Pennsylvania
17. Diversitech
Dates: Might 7 – 10, 2024
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Powered by the tech recruitment platform Tribaja, Diversitech is a world gathering of inclusive tech corporations, entrepreneurs, buyers, and professionals. Hear from visionaries targeted on bettering variety, fairness, and inclusion hiring within the expertise trade.
To Be Introduced
18. Black Entrepreneurs Day
Date: 2024 (TBA)
Location: (TBA)
Daymond John, an investor on Shark Tank and the Founder & CEO of FUBU, curates an annual celebration of entrepreneurs. The live-streamed occasion options one-on-one conversations between John and Black superstar enterprise leaders, spherical desk discussions, a number of pitch competitions for grant cash, and musical performances.
It’s time to interrupt obstacles collectively.
Try the above occasions and take into account attending one which appeals to your present targets as a rising entrepreneur. Reminder: you may write it off as a enterprise expense.
