2022 WBENC National Conference — Schedule-2

The WBENC National Conference is back and better than ever with a new schedule model to facilitate getting back to business safely! Check back soon and often as more details on the schedule, WBENC Arena, and other sessions will be added soon and on an ongoing basis.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL SCHEDULE DETAILS AND TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME.

Click on the session titles to learn more.

Monday

June 6

Tuesday

June 7

Wednesday

June 8

Thursday

June 9

WBENC Arena

The WBENC Arena is an all-encompassing event experience with more than 300,000 square feet of space featuring expo booths, industry sessions, 1:1 meeting opportunities, and more! The three halls will feature everything from your traditional expo booths to educational sessions and many, many networking opportunities.

Open three days, the Arena is designed to maximize networking.

**New in 2022** Exhibitors will be placed into industry groupings. Read the FAQs for more information on that and other Exhibitor details.

View the Exhibitor Directory

View the WBENC Arena Floor Plan

Learn More About Exhibiting

Click the drop downs below to learn more about each WBENC Arena feature.

Open Expo

During Open Expo take the opportunity to network and mingle with your target exhibitors. Wind through the specific Industry’s Open Expo at your own pace. All exhibitors must staff their booths during Industry Open Expo, though you may find exhibitors in their booths anytime the Arena is open. You can check their schedule outside of Open Expo in the Exhibitor Listing in the Mobile App. Throughout the week you’ll be able to connect with hundreds of exhibitors across several Industry Open Expos to seek out new contracts, solutions and prospects at every turn.

View the Exhibitor Directory

Each Hall’s Open Expo Hours:

All Halls:
- Tuesday, June 7 | 1:00-2:30 (optional)
Hall 1:
- Wednesday, June 8 | 1:30-3:30pm ET
- Thursday, June 9 | 1:45-3:00pm ET
Hall 2:
- Tuesday, June 7 | 2:30-5:00pm ET
- Thursday, June 9 | 1:45-3:00pm ET
Hall 3:
- Wednesday, June 8 | 10:45am-12:45pm ET
- Thursday, June 9 | 1:45-3:00pm ET

Schedule as of 5/17/22

Coffee with Corporates

Hear from Corporate executives in an intimate fireside chat setting. Gain insights, actionable advice, and industry-specific wisdom from these corporate representatives chatting with a moderator.

Example Coffee with Corporates sessions include

What Comes Next? Building on Connections Made at National Conference
Explore & Leverage Emerging Opportunities in the Utilities Industry

The Expert Experience

Gain valuable insights from leading experts on a variety of industry-specific topics. Attend The Expert Experience for classic educational sessions featuring TED style talks or panel discussions on the industry’s most crucial topics and walk away with important knowledge and skills to implement in your business.

Session samples include:

How Chemicals Connect the Word
Contract Management – What It Takes to Work in the Chemical Industry
Supply Chain Challenges in Healthcare
Empowering Your Inner Leader | What Blocks You? What Emboldens You?
Corporate Allyship: Standing Up for Neurodiversity
Supplier Diversity “Real Talk” from Automotives
Growing a WBE: Challenges, Wins and Insights into the Journey

Instant Match

These invitation-only sessions are highly coveted opportunities to connect one-on-one with Corporate Member Sponsors. Throughout the week, participating Corporate Member Sponsors can distribute Instant Match meeting invitations to WBEs they meet during networking events that they are interested in connecting with further. These meetings allow invited WBEs to connect with purchasing decision-makers from major corporations and government agencies.

Open Only to WBENC and WEConnect Certified WBEs.

Table Topics

Join fellow attendees to participate in a robust discussion around topics vital to your business or industry. Share insights, explore best practices, and hear challenges and solutions from your fellow business owners and supplier diversity professionals to gain valuable takeaways from these Table Topics.

Table Topic examples include:

Prime Meet & Greet – Energy Industry
Approach to Opportunities: Coaching from Capital One – Preparing for the RFP
Supply Chain Challenges in Healthcare
Bridge Built by Citi Small Business Bankers Q & A

Think Tanks

Bring your thinking cap to these Think Tank sessions where Corporate Members will pose a challenge for attendees to break into small groups to brainstorm and discuss solutions. Collaborate, ideate, and innovate with fellow attendees to come up with as many solutions as you can, identify a favorite, and report out to the Corporate Member hosting the Think Tank session.

Sample Think Tanks session topics coming soon!

Meet and Greet

Meet & Greet is only open to WBENC and WEConnect Certified WBEs. No preregistration is required for WBEs.

Meet & Greet is a networking opportunity for WBEs and Corporate Members to connect in an open but structured format. This WBE-driven opportunity features a series of 25-minute sessions. Each participating corporate member hosts a table of WBEs and every 25 minutes WBEs have the opportunity to connect with a different table host.

Meet & Greet sessions will occur:

Wednesday, June 8 | 9:00-10:30am ET
Thursday, June 9 | 9:00-11:00am ET

To participate, Corporate Members register in advance to host Meet & Greet tables. Contact matchmakers@wbenc.org if you are a registered corporate member and are interested in participating.

There is no other programming taking place in the WBENC Arena during Meet & Greet times on Wednesday and Thursday.

Collegiate Accelerator

The WBENC Collegiate Accelerator, previously the WBENC Student Entrepreneur Program, is a premier startup program that fosters growth for the next generation of female founders and women-owned businesses. WBENC is proud to invest in the next generation of Women’s Business Enterprises through the support of WBENC Corporate and Government Members.

The fifteen 2022 Collegiate Accelerator founders, as well as five select 2021 program alums, will have the opportunity to highlight their products and services in the Collegiate Accelerator Showcase in Hall 1 at Booth #623, during the following dates and times:

Thursday, 6/7 | 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Wednesday, 6/8 | 11:30am – 2:30pm
Wednesday, 6/8 | 2:45pm – 4:45pm
Thursday, 6/9 | 1:30pm – 3:30pm

The 2022 Collegiate Accelerator cohort will also participate in a two-round Pitch Competition showcasing these amazing founders, during which they will compete for $20,000 in seed capital cash prizes. The preliminary round will take place Wednesday, 6/8, from 3:30pm – 4:30pm on the Yellow Stage in Hall 1. Five finalists will move forward and compete onstage during Thursday’s Celebratory Dinner. We encourage conference attendees to look out for these female entrepreneurs and support their businesses!

To learn more about the 15 founders making up the 2022 Collegiate Accelerator cohort, please visit our blog post announcement.

Women Owned

Women Owned is an initiative from WBENC and WEConnect International to create a movement of support for Women Owned businesses. We support female entrepreneurs and those who do business with them by raising awareness for why, where and how to buy Women Owned.

In Atlanta, Women Owned will activate on the WBENC Arena floor with Demo Stations from Women Owned brands. Expect demos, samples and products available for sale from amazing Women Owned brands. Get ready to invest in women and #BuyWomenOwned!

Don't miss your chance to reconvene with the WBENC network for the first time in two years! Get ready for networking, education, celebrations and more.