Oklahoma State University's Riata Center to host 2014 Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference

Friday, January 24, 2014

Aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners are invited to attend the fifth annual Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 8. 

The conference formerly known as the Women’s Entrepreneurship (WE) Inspire Conference has been held in Oklahoma City for the past four years featuring such prominent speakers as Maxine Clark of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Patricia Miller, co-founder of design company Vera Bradley, and Debbie Fields of Mrs. Field’s Bakeries. 

The Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference, sponsored by the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University, is not only for the traditional entrepreneur in Oklahoma who has started a business, has an idea for a new business or are looking to grow their existing businesses it is also for those who would like to learn more about the entrepreneurial mindset. 

Modeled after the Women Entrepreneurs (WE) Inspire Conference, the new Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference is a resource-packed day featuring both local and national entrepreneurial role models and speakers discussing their failures and successes, as well as providing conference attendees with the latest in business development and strategy. 

With over 750 entrepreneurs and more than 30 acclaimed speakers in attendance the conference is also an incredible networking opportunity. The day-long conference is designed to inspire entrepreneurs from across the state to pursue their passions, think big and turn their dreams into reality. 

This year’s conference will feature keynote speaker, Lauren Bush Lauren, founder and CEO of FEED Projects, a company with the simple mission of creating good products that help feed the world. Lauren is also Chairman of the Board of the FEED Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports programs and organizations that are effectively working to fight hunger and eliminate malnutrition throughout the world. 

The conference will explore the unique obstacles, demands and challenges entrepreneurs face when creating and growing their own ventures. In addition to featured national keynote speakers, the conference will consist of hands-on breakout sessions that will examine a broad range of practical issues to enable entrepreneurs to act on their dreams. The breakouts will include five tracks catering to the interests of entrepreneurs: 1) Entrepreneurship in the Arts, 2) Women Entrepreneurship, 3) Youth and Creativity, 4) Corporate “Intrapreneurship,” and 5) Inspiring Entrepreneurs. 

The Riata Center of Entrepreneurship in OSU’s Spears School of Business is also hosting an Arts Research in Entrepreneurship Symposium (ARiES) on April 7 at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa. ARiES is a new annual symposium that celebrates and highlights innovations in the area of entrepreneurship and the creative arts. The goal is to foster the entrepreneurial spirit among artists through education and the partnership of academic institutions and local art organizations and councils. The day-long program will feature concurrent topic tracks as well as keynote panels and lunch roundtable discussions between industry and academic experts. 

To register for the Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference and take advantage of the early bird special ($50 prior to Jan. 31), go to the website: https://riata.okstate.edu/inspire/register/. 

Registration for the Arts Research in Entrepreneurship Symposium is $200 (which includes the Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference), visit the ARiES website: https://riata.okstate.edu/aries/register/.

For additional information about the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship, go to riata.okstate.edu, or sign up for the Riata Newsletter.