Welcome

Presenting Sponsor Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor:

Accenture is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the 2010 WBENC Summit & Salute to Women's Business Enterprises: The Opportunity Connection. Sponsoring the Summit & Salute demonstrates our support of women business enterprises in our overall supplier diversity efforts and allows us to honor WBENC's business stars and the 2009 Top Corporations for Women Business Enterprises. Accenture salutes WBENC and its business stars that exemplify high performance.

What is WBENC?

The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), founded in 1997, is the nation's leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America's corporations. It also is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States. WBENC works to foster diversity in the world of commerce with programs and policies designed to expand opportunities and eliminate barriers in the marketplace for women business owners. WBENC works with representatives of corporations to encourage the utilization and expansion of supplier/vendor diversity programs.

For more information on WBENC, visit www.wbenc.org.

What is the Summit & Salute to Women’s Business Enterprises?

The Summit & Salute to Women's Business Enterprises is one of the “Do not miss” business events of the year. The Summit & Salute is a single program with two important goals. First, the Summit brings together America's leading corporations, government agencies, women business owners and strategic partner organizations. This comprehensive two-day program will focus on business forecasts, market trends, best practices, and provide networking environments conducive to business. Second, the Salute honors WBENC's award-winning Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) Stars for their achievements and leadership, and also pays tribute to America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises.

The Opportunity Connection: Why should you attend?

The Opportunity Connection theme is based on one of WBENC's three core values: Certification, Opportunity, and Resources. This theme re-emphasizes WBENC's ongoing commitment of connecting major corporations and WBEs to identify and negotiate business opportunities.

If you are a WBE, the Summit & Salute offers Opportunities to build your business; Opportunities to informally introduce yourself and your company to corporate and government leaders without an appointment; Opportunities to learn about the latest macro and micro trends and how they'll affect your business; and Opportunities to grow as a business leader.

If you are a corporate representative, there are Opportunities to learn about best practices from your peers; Opportunities to speak to WBEs who can supply you with important new products and services to increase your productivity and profitability; and Opportunities to meet a broad range of WBEs who represent a substantial market for your company's products and services.

Program Highlights

The Summit & Salute offers excellent learning and networking opportunities in a friendly, unrushed environment featuring keynote speakers, panel discussions, small group discussions, networking receptions, and more.

• Sessions focused on topics of most importance to you, including best practices panels
• Informative Federal Government Forum on Positioning Your Company for Contracting Opportunities
• A keynote speech from a well-known marketing strategist and futurist, Edie Weiner
• Networking with top corporate and WBE companies in multiple innovative formats
• WBENC's 2010 Salute to Women's Business Enterprise Stars Awards Dinner, as well as a tribute to America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises for 2009

Sponsorship Information

As a Summit & Salute sponsor, you will have a strong presence throughout the two-day program, and at the annual Salute Recognition Dinner. The content of the Summit will focus on business forecasts, market trends, opportunities and select insights from subject matter experts. This new format promises to provide each attendee and sponsor tangible value for the investment of their time and financial participation.

View Sponsorship and Advertising Options

Click here for more information on available packages.

Register Now!

Begin your registration

Click here to view all available registration types and begin your registration.

Hotel Reservations

201 Waterfront Street National Harbor, MD 20745 Phone: (301) 965-2000 Fax: (301) 965-2001 www.gaylordhotels.com

Located on the Potomac River, the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center is just a 15-minute drive from downtown Washington, DC or Reagan National Airport and within a 45-minute drive from Dulles and Baltimore-Washington International Airports. The hotel also offers convenient access to Washington, DC with an hourly shuttle service, water taxi to Old Town Alexandria, and shuttle service to Ronald Reagan National Airport.

For Reservations

WBENC has arranged a discounted preferred hotel rate for its guests, who may make hotel reservations as part of the registration process for the program. Space is limited, so register now! The deadline to receive the WBENC preferred hotel rate is Friday, February 19, 2010. The WBENC special rate is at the Gaylord National is $259.00 plus a $10 resort fee, 6% sales tax and 10% occupancy tax per night.

Tuesday, March 23 and Wednesday, March 24 are now SOLD OUT at the Gaylord National.
Selecting hotel dates which include Wednesday, March 24 will result in you being added to the waitlist for that night. Upon a space becoming available, we will email you to offer Wednesday night be added to your reservation. You will have 24 hours to respond to secure the available room.

We recommend that you make a backup reservation at one of the local hotels. Be sure to check on their cancellation policy before making a reservation.

Questions?

If you have read through the information on this website and still have questions regarding the 2010 Summit & Salute, please contact any of the following:

A-Plus Meetings & Incentives

Women's Business Enterprise National Council