Publishers, Entrepreneurs, and the Creative Community in Upcoming DNC-Related Events
Below are details on upcoming events that are focusing, at least in part, on the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
Charlotte Newspaper Publishers to Speak
Ann Caulkins, president and publisher of The Charlotte Observer, and Gerald Johnson, CEO and publisher of The Charlotte Post, will speak during a lecture series event on Wednesday, April 18, 7 p.m. at Biddle Hall on the Johnson C. Smith University campus (100 Beatties Ford Rd.). The event is part of the university's Lyceum Series, “Democracy 2012: The Road to Charlotte.” The publishers will discuss how media influences elections and campaigns. The event is free and open to the public.
In other JCSU political news, Ron Stodghill, director of Innovo Laboratory, and Innovo co-founder Keisha Talbot Johnson, are in Washington, D.C. today to discuss entrepreneurship at the White House Summit on Entrepreneurship for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions. The summit is in collaboration with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Department of Education, and the White House. Innovo is a small business incubator/think tank laboratory run by the Center of Excellence for Diversity, Workforce and Small Business Development at the Smith Institute for Applied Research at JCSU. jcsu.edu.
Charlotte’s Creative Community and the DNC
The Charlotte Chamber has kicked off a workshop series for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and the creative community with events planned throughout the year. There’s an Entrepreneurship Lab (E-Lab) event Wednesday, April 18, 1-5:30 p.m. at Northeastern University (101 N. Tryon St.), with keynote speaker Louis Foreman, founder and CEO of Charlotte-based companies Enventys and Edison Nation (I profiled Edison Nation in the December issue of Charlotte magazine, “Being Thomas Edison”). Foreman will give tips on “how to turn your ideas into greater profits.” There will be several other presenters and session facilitators throughout the afternoon. Cost to attend is $15 in advance or $20 at the door for Chamber members; $25 in advance or $30 at the door for nonmembers. Click here to register.
Specifically as it relates to the Democratic National Convention, the following week the Chamber is presenting “Creative Crowdshare: Mapping Charlotte’s Creative Community” through an initiative called Charlotte Creates. The event takes place Wednesday, April 25, 1-4:30 p.m. at Mint Museum Uptown (500 S. Tryon St.) The Chamber invites the local creative community to build connections, share information, and generate ideas for the Democratic National Convention Creative Hub. The hub will showcase key areas of Charlotte’s entrepreneurial innovation and artistic creativity as an important force for economic development in the region. The Chamber says it seeks “to turn your ideas into an action plan.” Tracy Russ, chief marketing officer for the Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee, will speak along with presentations by Charlotte innovators. Cost to attend is $10 in advance or $15 at the door for Chamber members; $15 in advance or $20 at the door for nonmembers. Click here to register. A subsequent event for the DNC Creative Hub will take place in June, with more planned leading up to the September convention.
