Are you concerned about the threat of a recession? Will your business be agile enough to survive this challenging market? How can you increase the use of technology with a shrinking budget?

Concerns like these are among the themes of the 2008 National Business and Leadership Conference: Out for Business! hosted by the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

The annual event, this year in Minneapolis, MN, will bring the gay and allied business community together for three days of business symposia, panel discussions, development seminars and networking events.

"A major focus of this year's conference will be sharing tools for attendees to secure their businesses in the face of a challenging economy," says NGLCC Co-Founder and President Justin Nelson. "This is the perfect opportunity for attendees to join their colleagues and top corporate representatives from Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies as they address strategies and best practices for completing the circle of corporate diversity, including the addition of LGBT supplier diversity.”

"Small businesses are among the first to feel the financial stress of a slowing economy,” observes NGLCC Co-Founder and CEO, Chance Mitchell. One of the group's Founding Corporate Partners, Intel, is helping to make the conference more affordable for small businesses by offering a scholarship for a discounted registration fee.

"We are so proud of Intel’s steadfast partnership with us by providing a conference scholarship fund for the last four years."  (GFN members qualify for a discounted registration fee at the NGLCC Member Rate.)

Enforcing the theme of slowing economy, and how businesses can flex to survive, conference sessions will include:

    •    Cash Flow Solutions: Business Financing in a Challenging Market
    •    LGBT Supplier Diversity 360°
    •    Image Matters: Media Training for LGBT Business Owners
    •    Blogger Boot-Camp
    •    Completing the Circle of Corporate Diversity.

Special programming will include the Women's Business Roundtable and Networker – bringing together leading LBT woman business owners and professionals for another year of sharing best practices and networking at the Women's Business Initiative Special Event.  This dynamic session is historically one of the most popular events of the conference.

In addition, the "Make the Connection" at the NGLCC 2008 Marketplace Expo will allow certified LGBT businesses and those considering certification as an LGBT business enterprise the opportunity to meet one-on-one with decision makers from corporations and government entities. As Corporate Partners and Members of the NGLCC, many of these companies and businesses have realized return on investment in the LGBT market.

Founder of GFN and NGLCC Board Chair, Walter Schubert, will be among the featured speakers at the conference. "It’s very exciting to be able to provide remarks at the Conference this year. This event is one I look forward to each year, and is pivotal in creating a welcoming and successful business environment."

While the NGLCC is a national organization, based in Washington, DC, events like this conference are a large undertaking. This year, Twin Cities Quorum, the local NGLCC affiliate chamber of commerce in Minneapolis, has taken an active role in assisting NGLCC with local outreach.

Twin Cities Quorum Executive Director, Sam McClure, has been hard at work to assure the success of the conference. "We are grateful for her leadership and assistance in bringing the Twin-Cities business insight to the conference" adds Rick Fowler, Director of Meetings and Special Events at the NGLCC.

Register through gfn.com at www.nglcc.org/minneapolis2008 and receive the NGLCC Member rate. There you will also find links to sponsorship opportunities, a complete agenda, as well as information about the Twin Cities.

National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) to offer valuable business resources at the 2008 NGLCC National Business and Leadership Conference: Out for Business! Minneapolis, MN, June 5-7

The NGLCC represents the interests of an estimated 1.4 million LGBT owned businesses. Through its network of 47 state and locally-based chambers and business organizations, the NGLCC is the largest LGBT business development and economic advocacy organization in the world. In addition to many other programs and services designed to help LGBT and allied businesses succeed, the NGLCC is the exclusive national certifying body for LGBT owned and operated businesses.