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Created on October 18, 2015 |
In less than 12 hours, over 7,000 entrepreneurs, businesses, and non-profit entities will begin arriving in San Diego, CA for one of the year’s biggest networking events for minority business enterprises (MBEs). The Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week was created by a presidential proclamation signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 and honors some of the country’s most innovative and emergent minority businesses around the country. This year the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is excited to announce our partnership with the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council, Inc. (NMSDC) to have MED Week in conjunction with the 2015 NMSDC Conference and Business Opportunity Exchange. This conference will allow MBEs to have access to both corporate executives and federal government procurement officials and endless opportunities.
A conference of this size and magnitude can open doors and catapult an organization’s growth and scale by leaps and bounds, however it can also be overwhelming to new entrepreneurs and those unfamiliar of the intricacies of taking full advantage of this type of opportunity. To ensure that an entrepreneur is fully aware of the benefits of MED week we have comprised the following tips:
1. Make sure you have plenty of quality business cards as well as a good place to store the cards you collect. Take notes on the back of cards you collect so you remember who the person is. Be approachable and have a quick 15-20 second explanation of what your organization about.
2. Network, NETWORK, NETWORK!!!!! This conference will be attended by over 7,000 potential contacts to your next contract, business deal or partner.
3. Take advantage of the workshops and matchmaking sessions. Using the conference program/agenda, highlight some of the more prevalent events that will address your wants and needs for your organization. Be sure to ask questions and get contact information.
4. After hours conference socializing. A conference this size might not leave time to get to everything so take full advantage of dinners and other activities outside of the conference to connect to other businesses and conference attendees.
5. Follow up. Once you return to your business it is crucial that you do not just throw the hundreds of business cards you collected into your drawer. Send a quick follow-up email within the first seven days to reintroduce yourself and the conversation that was had at the conference.
The 2015 MED Week celebration will create synergies for MBEs around the country to grow in size and scale and we hope that your organization is able to capture as many opportunities as possible!
Posted at 6:13 PM
