Business Conference
The Business Conference is the council’s primary in-person event for connecting certified MBEs with the corporations and public agencies who want to do business with them, while delivering high-quality training for MBEs to support their growth and development. Every conference is different, which means that attendees can look forward to new insights and information to keep their business growing.
2024 Business Conference
The 2024 Business Conference was held on Friday, June 14th at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington.
About the Business Conference
Our Annual Business Conference offers a diverse array of activities such as keynote speeches, panel discussions, and interactive breakout sessions. Partnering with corporate members like Microsoft and more, we provide ample networking opportunities for our MBEs. Dive deep into the urgent challenges and opportunities minority businesses face today and gain practical insights on the latest technological innovations and strategies for supplier diversity and inclusion.
This conference is designed to rejuvenate your sense of purpose and equip you with actionable knowledge to drive your business forward. Join us for an enriching experience that fosters growth, collaboration, and a stronger, more inclusive business community.
Event Highlights
Hosted by Josh Canady, Sr. Diversity Program Manager at Microsoft, the event brought over 100 MBEs, corporations, and public agencies together to learn about the future of tech.
Keynote Speaker
Holly Strauss, Director of SMB Strategy at Microsoft delivered an insightful keynote speech outlining the ways that artificial intelligence (AI) can help businesses reduce costs, improve processes, and grow into the 21st century.
Networking
Throughout the day, attendees had ample opportunity to network among themselves or with MBEs and corporate/public agency members. We intentionally schedule our events to include networking opportunities so that new business relationships can develop. Plus, MBEs could register for networking roundtables, enabling them to meet directly with corporate and public agency members and discuss business opportunities.
Breakout Sessions
Two breakout sessions on cybersecurity and generative AI prepared business leaders with new ideas and insights on how technology can be leveraged to grow their operation, protect their data, and increase efficiency.