Time

Speaker

Topic

Workshop Overview 

11:00am - 11:10am

Jerome’ Holston (LGBTCC Director) 

Welcome & Agenda

LGBTCC Director Jerome’ Holston will share welcome remarks and an overview of the agenda. 

11:10am - 12:00pm

Jill Golden: President, Simple Machine Marketing

Marketing Plan Must-Haves

For many small business owners, initial growth is achieved through referrals and word of mouth networking. But as you look to grow further and scale operations, a formal marketing plan will be critical to success.

In this workshop, you’ll receive instruction for creating a ready-to-execute plan that includes:

• How to reach and engage potential customers
• How competitors are marketing themselves
• How to stand out from competitors
• The best way to communicate your strengths
• Which channels and tactics you should use and what results you can expect

12:00pm - 12:50pm (Supplier Track) 

David Grossman (Founder & CEO, The Grossman Group) & David Wright (Senior Vice President, The Grossman Group)

Turn down the noise: Using the power of focus to improve performance and engagement

With global information networks, social media and big data, employees are more informed and connected than ever before. Even before the pandemic, the impact of so many resources and options has been both overwhelming and isolating as employees choose their own paths and priorities. The challenge for business leaders isn’t reaching their employees or giving more information, it’s communicating effectively and with heart to cut through the clutter so they have the right information, set clear priorities and align to a common cause. Join Leadership Expert David Grossman in a session that will provide leaders the tools and techniques to eliminate the noise caused by unclear priorities and competing agendas, and build an aligned team focused on shared outcomes and goals

12:00pm - 12:50pm (Buyer Track)

Latonya Fourte-Lyles: Assistant Director (Supplier Diversity), Northwestern Mutual)

Carve Out, Tier 2, What’s the Difference?

This is a discussion on how to take the spend profile to different levels. The discussion will address carving out spend for those contracts where the category managers have determined that smaller diverse suppliers do not have the capacity. What is the difference between carving out portions of a contract and Tier 2?

12:50 - 1:00pm 

Break 

1:00-1:30pm 

(Buyer & Supplier)

TJ Chernick: Director, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce New York

Matchmaking Best Practices

Learn best practices to ensure you have a successful matchmaking experience on Day 2. 

1:30-2:00pm

Kimberly Bagwell (State Farm); Sherrie Matthews (Print Solutions); Cynthia Johnson (Women’s Business Development Center)

We Signed the Contract: What Next? 

You signed the contract, now what? Do you know what happens next, or what systems need to be in place? Join us in this chat as we discuss what it takes to execute a successful partnership. 

2:00-3:00pm

James

 Alvarez Mourey, PhD: Associate Professor, DePaul University 

Consumer Insights 101: Understanding Human Psychology & Motivation in Consumer Contexts    

What drives consumer behavior? In an era of influencers and immediate gratification, how can companies connect with their customers to uncover important insights about drivers of behavior in enough time to act on those insights? And what treasure troves of useful information exists online—entirely for free—that can be mined for insights about consumer tastes, preferences and trends? The discussion will focus on why and how consumers make decisions, while sharing the latest research findings and tools that companies should/could use to become more informed about their current/prospective customers.

3:00 - 3:15pm

Jerome’ Holston

Closing Remarks

Jerome’ will wrap up Day 1 of the Illinois LGBTQ+ Business Summit