Business Conferences to Keep on your Radar in 2023 that focus on High Potential Diverse Talent

Working in Corporate America, we should always consider opportunities to learn new skills and grow our professional network. Attending conferences provide you with the chance to meet new people with similar interests, learn about new companies and potential career opportunities, as well as spend dedicated time growing your knowledge in a particular area. As we prepare to close out the year, I wanted to share some of my favorite conferences you should keep on your radar for 2023.

Business

Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit: March 9 – 11 2023, Las Vegas, NV.

Black Men Xcel: 2023 dates are TBD. 2022 dates were Oct. 12 – 14.

Executive Leadership Council: 2023 dates are TBD. A variety of events were held in 2022.

National Black MBA Conference: September 12-16,?2023?in Philadelphia, PA.

Prospanica: October 18, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV.

Consider the following as you put together your proposal to attend an upcoming conference (yes, you should ask your company to sponsor your attendance).

1.??????What can you learn from the conference? Think about your next career move. What additional skills do you need to be eligible for the promotion or greater job responsibilities? How can this conference help? Review the workshop topics. Outline specific speakers or sessions that are aligned to your performance goals and development areas.

2.??????How can your attendance benefit your company? For example, I would research to see if there is a job fair as part of the agenda and volunteer to assist with diversity recruiting efforts.

3.??????Can this conference serve as an opportunity to build your personal brand? Can you serve as a speaker (The hosting organization might be willing to sponsor your registration fee and/or aid with travel costs)? If you serve as a speaker or participate on a panel, this might provide an extra incentive for your manager to support your attendance. It also looks great on LinkedIn to see video footage from your speaking engagement.

Pro-tips: Ask to attend conferences early in the year, while budget dollars are still available. Review your benefits to see if there are professional development resources available for all employees. Several conferences have pre-written letters for you to give your manager that will support your attendance on their website.

Curious about tech conferences? Stay tuned as the next article will focus on conferences in the tech space!

In the comments, please share some of your favorite conferences to attend. And I would love to learn some of the benefits you’ve experienced with attending conferences in the past.