(Black PR Wire) MIAMI — The Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council (FSMSDC) will host the 35th Annual Business Expo – the largest minority business event in Florida – online November 18-19. Under the theme Ready! Set! Grow!, the conference will focus on helping minority-owned businesses develop and expand through education, networking, and opportunities to connect with corporations and government agencies.

The Business Expo attracts business leaders and corporations from across the state and around the country. The event will include an interactive virtual business-to-business trade fair, workshops, boot camps, one-on-one meetings between minority-owned businesses and large buyers, and an interactive virtual business networking lounge.

“The Business Expo is designed to ensure minority businesses at all stages of development are positioned for greater success, and to provide corporations and government agencies with information about supplier diversity,” said Beatrice Louissaint, President, and CEO of the FSMSDC. “We’re taking advantage of the online environment to offer new types of activities, more intimate connections with our speakers, and the opportunity to participate in a trade show without the expense of creating a physical booth.”

Speakers and moderators at the 35th Annual Business Expo will include supplier diversity and procurement executives from The Coca-Cola Company, Universal Parks & Resorts, Florida Power & Light Company, Orlando Health, AT&T, Broward College, JM Family Enterprises, Wyndham Destinations, Florida Blue, Moffit Cancer Center, Duke Energy, the State of Florida, Florida Department of Transportation, AutoNation and more.

The event’s highlights will include keynote speaker Jorge Mas, who is Chairman of the Board and Co-Founder of Miami-based Fortune 500 company MasTec Inc., owner of Major League Soccer’s Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (Inter Miami), managing partner of a private equity firm and executive director of the Mas Family Foundation.

This year’s virtual Business Expo is an ideal opportunity for minority entrepreneurs to present their products and services to purchasing agents from government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Corporate exhibitors and sponsors include The Walt Disney Company, Comcast, Truist, Florida Blue, Duke Energy, Florida Power & Light Company, IBM, Turner, Tampa General Hospital, Raytheon Technologies, JM Family Enterprises, Office Depot, Orlando Health, AT&T, American Airlines, MasTec, Vistra Communications, SDI International Corp., Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald Solo Printing.

Workshops this year will include Procurement-ready Boot Camp, Supplier Diversity Roundtable, MasterClasses where participants learn success secrets and strategies from the best, The Future of Work & Performance in a Virtual Environment, and a CEO Forum featuring leading CEOs who are running innovative, high-performing, and unique minority businesses. Participants will be able to get a bit more active with online lunchtime entertainment from DJ Mack, a Yoga & Dance session, and a workshop on Cooking Delicious & Quick Meals.

The Annual Business Expo also includes a Youth Entrepreneurs Workshop, with more than 100 students from local schools expected to participate.

For more information on the Virtual Business Expo schedule, sponsorship, and partnership opportunities, and virtual exhibitor booths, or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.floridastatebusinessexpo.com/.

About FSMSDC

The Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council (FSMSDC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing access and growth for minority businesses in Florida. The organization’s goal is to increase purchasing from minority businesses by government entities and corporations while increasing the operating capacity of minority businesses through hands-on business assistance, training, and access to technology and capital resources. Founded in 1975, the FSMSDC is one of 23 regional councils affiliated with the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). The FSMSDC acts as a liaison between corporate America and certified Minority Business Enterprises in the state of Florida.