Friday Schedule

The first day of the conference kicks off. Check-in and familiarize yourself with the agenda, check out the business service vendors or secure your headshot - limited slots available.

This panel will cover the various business opportunities from county to federal level that impact Florida’s economic development. Panelist will discuss what industries are poised for growth and where there is room for innovation and deals to be made. In addition, panelists will discuss what programs each entity has in place for our professionals to pursue to aide in the growth of their businesses.

The Secrets to Making Your Business Your Asset
“Recruiting and Developing Talent That Enables Your Company to Grow and Thrive.”
Opportunity Zones and Me

This is a candid conversation from founders and CEOs from various walks of life who will share their journey at what it took to start and grow their business. Get insightful lessons on switching a hustle to an enterprise.

Shaping Your Legacy in Your Exit Strategy
Panel: Leveraging the Digital Space
How to Win Government Contracts
Leveraging the Game: Opportunities in Sports

This panel will highlight entrepreneurs and agencies leading the cause in new industries that will take 2020 and beyond by storm. Learn about the opportunities in cannabis, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data mining, blockchain, and 3D printing. Attendees will get insight on how these industries and innovations will impact and cause disruption across other industries and professions.

Benoni Tagoe
Launching his career as an assistant to the Jonas Brothers, Benoni Tagoe quickly became a part of the band’s day-to-day management team and through that experience developed a keen sense of entrepreneurship. Since then, Tagoe has produced content for both TV and New Media on platforms that have collectively garnered over 20 million views. In his current dual role, Tagoe is the Head of Business Development for Issa Rae Productions (The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl and HBO’s ‘Insecure’) and President of Radio (Issa Rae’s music initiative). Additionally, Tagoe has been profiled as a “Modern Man” in Black Enterprise magazine for his work with his management & consulting company, The Bizz Plan, which has worked with various media brands, including Uninterrupted (LeBron James’ sports platform), beauty entrepreneur Peakmill, and financial expert Tonya Rapley.

Benjamin Carlton
Benjamin Carlton is an actor, activist, and social entrepreneur. He received his MBA from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University before moving to Miami to pursue a career in accounting. In 2013, while in Miami he co-founded the iconic BMe Community, a national movement of community builders that are led and inspired by Black people.

Jerveris "Jey" Floyd
(bio coming soon)

During this session hear from the African-American Outreach Delegates from the Campaigns of Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, Andrew Yang, and more to be announced.

Cheers! We've made to the end of Day 1. If you are a guest of the Taste of the Diaspora join us on the terrace.

Invite and BP Luxe Ticket Holders Only.

Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall, District 2 will provide guidance and lessons from her journey that has allowed her to serve in numerous roles and cemented a legacy throughout South Florida.

Octavia Yearwood is an artist, programmatic curator, and author. Yearwood creates and hosts programs for arts institutions, organizations, and companies nationally. In 2016 Yearwood was named Emerging Arts leader by Americans for the Arts and top 40 black leaders by Legacy Magazine. Over the last 15 years, aside from being an arts educator, Yearwood was the Director of Spinello Projects FREE! noncommercial Art Fair for Art Basel named the best author in Miami and the most interesting person by the Miami New Times in 2018. In 2019 Yearwood was brought on by the City of Miami Beach to curate all the arts & culture activations for Memorial Day Weekend. She continues to focus on diversifying creative space by transforming creative spaces and sits on the Board for the Baller Alert Foundation, and the Advisory Board of Power U. Yearwood has written for publications such as Blavity's 21 Ninety, XoNicole, Permission to Write and Bustle.

The opportunities in sports are endless, within this discussion learn about the various opportunities within the game of sports from career to business. Hear from career professionals and former athletes about how they leveraged the game of sports into a successful career or business.