CHARLOTTE – Celebrating its 24-history with a brand refresh, Black Enterprise’s annual summit is back with another program this week in Charlotte.
The 2019 event, held June 19-22 at the Charlotte Convention Center, comes with the theme “FWD: Business on Your Own Terms.”
Black Enterprise unveiled the new branding, dubbed FWD, back in February. In a news release, Black Enterprise President and CEO Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. said, “After 23 amazing years of hosting the Entrepreneurs Summit, we are very excited for the relaunch of one of our signature BE events, and there is no better city to do this than Charlotte.”
- MORE CALENDAR NEWS: Check out WRAL TechWire’s extensive listings covering events across North Carolina for this month – and coming months.
Graves added: “FWD is designed to show millennials and seasoned business leaders innovative strategies, networking opportunities with like-minded attendees, and show them how to think tactically to reach the next level of profitability.”
Last year’s summit brought in a turnout of more than 1,200 attendees in Charlotte and included a lineup with Dallas Mavericks Owner and ‘Shark Tank’ investor Mark Cuban, rapper and Grand Hustle Records Founder Tip ” T.I.” Harris, Comedian and Entertainment Studios Founder and CEO Byron Allen, and ActOne Group Founder and CEO Janice Bryant Howroyd.
Event preview: Mark Cuban headlines Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit (+ video)
The keynote speakers headlining the 2019 summit include Wendy Williams of the Wendy Williams Show, musician and record producer Ryan Leslie, Harlem Capital Partners Venture Partner John Henry, Always Civil Enterprise CEO Karen Civil, Build Your Own Brand Inc. Founder Andrew Nguyen, Pressure Makes Diamonds Founder Angela Simmons, and Isiah International Chairman and CEO Isiah Thomas.
There are three tracks for the audience to choose from—Launch, Grow and Innovate. Each track is tailored for businesses at different phases, from idea-stage to post-revenue. By the end of the event, attendees will have formed a “FWD Plan” with a strategy for meeting their goals.
FWD also features a “BizHub” exhibition with companies of all stages, from startup to corporate.
Additionally, attendees who are interested in pitching on Season 11 of ‘Shark Tank’ can meet one-on-one with Brandon Andrews, who is on a nationwide tour to bring more diverse voices to the program.
Admission for all four days of the event is $495. Registration is available here.
Attendees can follow along with the event hashtag #BEintheQC.
https://wraltechwire.com/event/fwd-black-enterprise-entrepreneurs-summit-2019/
