Frequently Asked Questions

General

 

  • Inspired by the World Economic Forum, Minority Business Economic Forum will be the leading event where NMSDC and its partners tap the top leaders of corporate America, the Administration, and leading thought academic leaders to re-calibrate the MBE narrative to be an integral part of the American economy.

    The Forum seeks to:

    • Galvanize a vanguard of chief officers to amplify the impact and influence of MBEs on the American economy.

    • Generate corporate spend and pledges towards $1 Trillion in certified MBE revenue.

    • Spark actionable solutions to the critical challenges minority businesses face, including access to contracts, capital, and information.

    • Forge pivotal relationships between Corporate Plus MBEs and key C-suite leadership.

    The event will be held in Chicago from May 11-13, 2022, and includes an in-person day of programming that will be streamed live for virtual attendees, culminating with the Equity Honors awards ceremony that will be open to the public virtually.

  • The in-person programming will be by invitation only and include

    VIPs:

    • Corporate C-Suite; Equity Honors Nominees

    • Policy Makers

    • Keynote Speakers

    • Selected Corporate Plus members

    • NMSDC 50 Year Anniversary Committee Members

    • Top Sponsors

    • NMSDC Board Members

    Premier Attendees:

    • Corporate representatives

    • MBEs (Corporate Plus, Growth Initiative, Tier 4)

    • NMSDC ELT

    • Regional Council Presidents

    • Partner NGO CEOs

    • Select Past EYE Participants

    Virtual Attendees:

    • NMSDC Corporate Members

    • MBEs

    • National Office Team Members

    • Regional Council Team Members

    • NGOs

    • Government Partners

    • Full Network

  • The event is a hybrid event, and the in-person component is by invitation only for a few reasons:

    • COVID protocols with this being our first in-person meeting in a couple years

    • Capacity of the venue in Chicago is limited to about 400

    • The program is being designed to create space for c-suite nominees from The Equity Honors to engage with their peers and foster MBE/Corporate Plus relationship building which is better facilitated in smaller groups

    However, the virtual component is open to our full network and more information about attending virtually can be found at www.theforum.nmsdc.org.

  • In-Person Component:

    • VIP - $2,500

    • Premier - $1,000

    Virtual Component:

    • CBOF55 - $200

    • National & Local Members/Government - $250

    • NMSDC-Certified MBE/Nonprofit - $100

    • Noncertified MBE - $300

    • Nonmember - $400

  • Yes, following the Forum we will be cutting up the video recording into sessions and providing access to attendees. We anticipate having the session recordings available by early June at the latest.

  • The Minority Business Economic Forum website will be broken up into three components:

  • The Minority Business Economic Forum website will be broken up into three components:

  • The Equity Honors are presented to corporate chief officers who have been recognized by their peers as the true leaders at the vanguard of economic equity and minority business integration. They are the bold ones, breaking open old circles of influence and opportunity to usher in talent, perspectives, and expertise that have been too long ignored. They are the visionaries, creating the conditions for minority businesses to fully realize their vast, untapped impact on the American economy and quality of life. And they are unshakable, the living blueprints for upending the status quo and making the kinds of changes that change everything.

    Nominations for CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, CMO, CDO, and CPO of the Year will be accepted through March 20, 2022. Winners will be announced at the honors ceremony on the evening of May 12th, at the inaugural Minority Business Economic Forum in Chicago.

    Review a listing of nominees.

Attending in Person

  • The official hotels of the form are:

    The Blackstone, Autograph Collection
    636 South Michigan Avenue
    Lobby entrance on East Balbo Avenue
    Chicago, Illinois 60605

    Le Méridien Essex Chicago
    800 South Michigan Avenue
    Chicago, Illinois 60605

    Because the room blocks have sold out, we have additional hotel information now available.

  • Unfortunately, the in-person component is by invitation only. Only those who are officially registered for the forum can attend.

  • Due to our privacy policy, NMSDC is not making the attendee list public. However, speakers and Equity Honors nominees are listed on the website, and a listing of companies in attendance is available.

  • The relationship building golf outing will take place from 10AM-3PM on May 11, 2022, at the Bolingbrook Golf Course (2001 Rodeo Drive, Bolingbrook, IL 60490). Transportation has been arranged, free of charge, with a pickup time of 8:30AM at the Le Meridien Essex hotel. Breakfast and lunch are included in the outing.

  • Power to Impact: Real Talks with Boys & Girls Club Chicago will take place from 4:00-6:30PM on May 11, 2022, at the Boys & Girls Club Chicago (2157 W. 19th St. Chicago, IL 60608). Below is the tentative agenda for the event:

    4:00-4:35PM Mixer

    4:45-4:50PM Welcome/Greetings from BMS,NMSDC & B&GC

    4:50-5:30PM Real Talks Panel & Q&A

    Moderator: Akil Alvin from Digital Detroit Media

    Panelists:

    • Jahkil Jackson from Project I AM

    • Olivia Dixon (10 yr. old Eye Lens Cohort)

    • Caden Harris (11 yr. old CEO of Caden Teach) Financial Literacy

    • Are You Kidding Me Socks: Brandon Martinez & Sebastian Martinez

    5:45-6:30PM The evening will end with dinner from a Healthy Food Caterer (black owned) and conversations with successful business

  • Your health and safety are important to NMSDC. Please see our Right of Entry and Healthy and Safety Measures.

  • The dress code for the Forum, the full day of programming and The Equity Honors Awards Ceremony, is business dress.

    If you are joining the VIP Reception, the Chicago Club requires coats and dress shirts with ties optional for men and corresponding dress for women.

    If you are joining the Premier Reception or Community Day, we recommend business casual.

    And if you are joining the Golf Outing, we recommend golfing attire.

  • Create an Account with ID.me

    In order to verify your vaccination status or negative test status, attendees must first create or have an ID.me account. Creating an account with ID.me is free and only requires a valid email address and password.

    • Navigate to https://hosted-pages.id.me/health/minority-economic-business-forum

    • Select one of the three options and click the “Continue to sign in” button:

      • Negative COVID-19 Test Results

      • Health Status Questionnaire

      • COVID-19 Vaccine

    • Click the “Create an ID.me account” link under “New to ID.me?”

    • Enter your email address, create a unique password, and accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy – click “Create an IDme account” button

    • Navigate to your inbox for the email address you entered, find the email with the subject line “Welcome to IDme”, and click the “Confirm your email” button

    • Your account has been confirmed and you will receive an email detailing this

    Please Note: Multiple or duplicate accounts cannot be created for one individual as ID.me’s technology is designed to protect against fraudulent transactions and/or bad actors. ID.me will identify duplicate entries of information and reject the verification attempt.

    Upload My Vaccination Status to an Existing ID.me Account

    Once an account has been created using your email address and password, the ID.me account holder will be prompted to prove their vaccination status or negative test status.

    • Navigate to https://hosted-pages.id.me/health/minority-economic-business-forum

    • Select one of the three options and click the “Continue to sign in” button:

      • Negative COVID-19 Test Results

      • Health Status Questionnaire

      • COVID-19 Vaccine

    • Sign into your account with the previously entered email address and password

    • Choose a verification method to verify your identity and follow the instructions on the proceeding pages:

      • Verify using your phone number

      • Upload photos of your license or state ID

      • Upload a photo of your passport

      • Upload photos of your passport card

    • Depending on your previous selection (Negative COVID-19 Test Results or COVID-19 Vaccine), choose a verification method to verify your vaccination status and follow the instructions on the proceeding pages

    • Your vaccination status has been confirmed and you will receive an email detailing this

    Need Help? Click on “Need help verifying” link at the bottom of the verification popup if you run into any trouble. These requests will get sent to a priority queue for help.

Attending Virtually

  • NMSDC will email all virtual registrants with instructions the night before the Forum that will include the URL and password to access the live stream. If you have any questions ahead of time or have trouble accessing the day of, please email us at virtualforum@nmsdc.org.

  • During lunch (12:00 – 1:00 PM CT), virtual attendees will be able to join our sponsors in various workshops detailed on our Virtual Workshops page. Click on the sponsor tile to be taken to the zoom room. If you have any questions ahead of time or have trouble accessing the day of, please email us at virtualforum@nmsdc.org.