Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a weblog collection that dives into the distinctive enterprise challenges and alternatives of underrepresented enterprise homeowners and entrepreneurs. Find out how they’ve grown or scaled their companies, explored entrepreneurial ventures inside their firms, or created facet hustles, and the way their tales can encourage and inform your individual success.
It could possibly really feel isolating if you happen to’re the one one within the room who appears such as you.
Assembly friends and mentors with a novel understanding of your lived expertise and enterprise roadblocks can assist you join the dots wanted to develop your small business and group. Nevertheless, discovering areas for this type of connection could be difficult for Black Individuals.
On this submit, uncover in-person and digital occasions nationwide the place Black entrepreneurs can strengthen relationships and construct experience.
Find out how to Put together for Attending a Convention
America Census Bureau reported 3.5 million Black-owned companies, per the final survey.
Attending conferences, commerce reveals, workshops, and webinars places you in rooms with customers and entrepreneurs who’ve recommendation, real-life examples, and funds that may shift the trajectory of your small business or nonprofit group.
To arrange for attending a convention:
- Evaluate the programming, resolve which classes to attend, and jot down a couple of questions you need to ask throughout Q&As or one-on-one conferences.
- Pack your small business playing cards, a notepad, and pens.
- Select outfits and footwear that make you’re feeling snug and assured.
- Ease any nerves by leaning into the thrill of bettering your small business.
By strengthening relationships, sharing experience, and partnering, there are alternatives to create an even 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 Journey 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 purchasing, and networking alternatives. The highly-anticipated occasion encompasses 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 be taught from trade leaders, construct invaluable relationships, and uncover new alternatives.
Indiana
3. Summer time Celebration – Indiana Black Enterprise Expo
Dates: June 24 – 25, 2024
Location: Indianapolis, IN
With a mission to stage the enjoying area of enterprise, the Indiana Black Expo Enterprise Convention permits entrepreneurs to be taught from executives and specialists. The 2024 convention affords classes and workshops on metropolis, federal, and state contracting alternatives. As an illustration, attendees can hear from funders on how one can improve their capability by way of entry to capital and specialists on some great benefits of partnerships.
Illinois
4. The Black Girls’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 advanced right into a multi-city way of life 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 offers vendor alternatives and sources on enterprise possession.
New York
5. CultureCon
Dates: October 5 – 6, 2024
Location: New York, NY
CultureCon, hosted by The Inventive Collective NYC, brings collectively artistic entrepreneurs and change-makers who need 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 firms may also arrange store at CultureCon’s small enterprise market.
6. Roadmap to Billions Convention
Dates: Might 16 – 18, 2024
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Black Girls Speak Tech, a collective of Black ladies tech entrepreneurs and professionals, are the masterminds behind the Roadmap to Billions Convention. In its eighth yr, the convention offers workshops, sources, and tactical methods for Black ladies entrepreneurs seeking to foster deep connections, create funding alternatives, and acquire insights from thought leaders throughout industries. Previous audio system embrace founders from Official Black Wall Road and Black Ambition Alternative Fund.
Ohio
7. Black Tech Week
Dates: July 16 – 18, 2024
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Coinciding with the annual Cincinnati Music Pageant, Black Tech Week is a convention for tech professionals and funders. Founders, executives, and specialists converse on matters starting from fundraising, buyer outreach, the facility of group, provide chain logistics, content material advertising and marketing, and crafting the way forward for tech and enterprise.
Texas
8. AFROTECH Convention
Dates: November 13 – 16, 2024
Location: Houston, TX
For Black professionals, innovators, engineers, and enterprise capitalists desirous about all issues tech and Web3, the AFROTECH Convention is three days of hearth chats, interactive reveals, panels, mixers, pitch competitions, and stay music performances. Subjects vary from creating viral merchandise, the creator economic system, strategic enterprise development, how one can increase funding, cryptocurrency, and extra.
9. Advertising and marketing For The Tradition Summit
Date: June 6, 2024
Location: Houston, TX
Hosted by the African American Advertising and marketing Affiliation, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, and creatives collect on the Advertising and marketing for the Tradition Summit to be taught finest 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 promoting, communication in advertising and marketing, and model archetypes.
10. Summer time Celebration Tradeshow & Pageant – 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 underneath one roof to achieve customers and generate extra financial development. That includes pro-Soccer Corridor of Famer Shannon Sharpe, the 2024 Tradeshow and Pageant will deal with training and economics.
11. Black is Tech Convention
Dates: August 19 – 21, 2024
Location: Houston, TX
The Black Is Tech Convention creates a platform for black tech professionals, college students, entrepreneurs, and fanatics 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 firms.
Virginia
12. Virginia Black Enterprise Expo & Enterprise Convention
Dates: August 2 – 4, 2024
Location: Arlington, VA
Throughout Nationwide Black Enterprise Month, the fifth annual Virginia Black Enterprise Expo options stay demonstrations, enterprise training from native trade specialists, networking alternatives, and purchasing. Registration for vendor cubicles is solely for Virginia Black Enterprise Listing members. This nonprofit group will increase the visibility of Black-owned companies from Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Washington, D.C.
13. ByBlack Convention
Date: 2024 (TBA)
Location: Washington, D.C.
In partnership between the U.S. Black Chambers Inc. and the Nationwide Affiliation 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 homeowners, creatives, and company executives to learn the way they’ll scale and get extra visibility for his or her firms.
New Jersey
14. Juneteenth Black Enterprise 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 group, 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 facility 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, traders, and creatives. Hosted by Nationwide, the Summit goals to assist construct million-dollar companies to the subsequent stage by way of entry to expert-led hearth chats, networking mixers, and different artistic instruments.
Pennsylvania
17. Diversitech
Dates: Might 7 – 10, 2024
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Powered by the tech recruitment platform Tribaja, Diversitech is a worldwide gathering of inclusive tech firms, entrepreneurs, traders, and professionals. Hear from visionaries targeted on bettering variety, fairness, and inclusion hiring within the know-how 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 movie star 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 contemplate attending one which appeals to your present targets as a rising entrepreneur. Reminder: you may write it off as a enterprise expense.
