The second Let's Connect Conference is slated for this week, when it will offer a safe space for networking and business development for entrepreneurs who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, women or military veterans.
The event begins Thursday evening with sessions, a keynote and networking at the Hilton Vancouver, at 301 W. Sixth St. It continues all day Friday. The Thursday evening start is an intentional way to help businesses owners who can’t afford to take two days off attend, said organizer Nathan Webster.
Webster, who was born and raised in Vancouver, owns NDub Brand, a marketing agency that focuses on strategy and brand monetization. He’s had the business for seven years and the conference has grown out of that experience.
The conference is also an outgrowth of a series of coffee meetups or happy hours that Webster organized as a way for business owners from marginalized communities to build their networks and create an ecosystem that doesn’t rely on being in Portland.
“I had the realization that people didn’t see a safe space to break bread and enjoy the company and talk business at the same time,” said Webster. “There was nothing in Vancouver.”
And though he didn’t see himself to to be “the guy” to start something, he did. And it has grown.
Last year, the first conference had about 60 people registered. The feedback was strong, and people appreciated the conversations around topics seldom talked about in other places: imposter syndrome, code switching or how to unpack complex feelings around working in organizations that turn a blind eye to the experience of marginalized folks, he said.
This year’s theme is “Progress not Perfection.” The lineup includes a keynotes from Marcus Carter II, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at First Tech Federal Credit Union, and Nina Byrd, a strategist at EXP Consulting.
There are more than 80 people registered and tickets are available online. Webster noted that the conference and any of the other events he organizes are designed for authentic relationship-building and not a place for people to sell things to each other.
The conference is organized under Webster’s business but he has recently created a nonprofit that will take the event forward. For now, it’s open to the public, but by 2024 he is planning for the conference and his events to be membership-driven. That way he can ensure it continues to be a safe place for people to connect.
