The Mississippi Link partners with Hansen Global Event Management

Gilda Caputo-Hansen

Connect 1 connects with New York firm

The Mississippi Link Newswire

Gilda Caputo-Hansen
Gilda Caputo-Hansen

Your ability to network and grow your business in Mississippi just got easier.

Individuals, entrepreneurs, students and small business owners will have access to some of the nation’s top corporations and business minds in March 2015 during the inaugural Connect 1 Conference promoting economic development in the Mississippi region.

Organizers of the Connect 1 Conference announced a unique partnership with the respected New York City-based firm of Hansen Global Event Management (HGEM) to help market and manage the conference.

While the full details of the partnership were not immediately available, organizers said the pending agreement would expand the reach of the conference to reach a national audience.

Jackie Hampton, Connect 1 Conference co-founder, confirmed that the HGEM firm was retained to help meet increasing demands of new registrants and corporate sponsors.

“Hansen Global Event Management was a natural fit. They have a great deal of experience managing large events, but what sold us was their ability to also handle the public health component which is very important when you look at the current health challenges facing Mississippi,” said Hampton.

Hampton is publisher of the Connect 1 Conference organizer, The Mississippi Link. She also serves on the board of the National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation (NNPAF).

“We are looking for major health care providers, pharmaceutical companies and medical suppliers to sign-on as partners, especially since Mississippi obviously represents potential growth and profits,” said Hampton.

The conference will feature an expo, networking breakfast, business luncheon, awards dinner, business matchmaking and numerous workshop sessions, according to event organizers.

Speakers and presenters headlining the conference will include nationally and locally known leaders, corporate owners and executives.

Former Major League Baseball great, Dwight “Doc” Gooden will join scheduled speakers, such as State Senator Willie Simmons and successful Mississippi businessmen Brad McMullan, Socrates Garrett and others to be announced at a later date.

Pre-conference activities will take place Wednesday, March 11, 2015 with a community service activity supporting a project on the Mississippi coast, followed by an evening welcome reception.

“The conference represents a wonderful opportunity for the gulf coast community to reach a national audience to showcase Mississippi as an emerging market for employers, entrepreneurs and business owners to grow and establish their brands,” said Hampton.

Lonnie Ross, online editor of The Mississippi Link and lead coordinator for the Connect 1 Conference, commented about partnering with HGEM:

“We want to ensure that the event is a success and be able to highlight local communities like Biloxi on the coast as it continues to emerge as a leading economic hub for economic development destination in the South for entrepreneurs, start-ups and large corporations.”

The highly anticipated Connect 1 Conference, which was rescheduled for this March, is designed as a showcase in the region for job seekers, entrepreneurs, home-based businesses, new start-ups, established businesses, venture capitalists, bankers, investment bankers, funders, sub-contractors, prime contractors, institutions and government agencies.

All conference activities will take place at the IP Casino Resort Spa, 850 Bayview Ave., Biloxi, MS, March 12-13, 2015.  The star-studded opening reception will be held the night before. The conference will also feature a public health forum, organizers said.

“Health is one of the fasting growing sectors of the local and national economy,” said Hampton, “and we want to make sure that conference participants interested in the healthcare field understand that according to research taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in the health care field outpace all other sectors in job growth, by as much as 30 percent.”

The Mississippi Link is one of the region’s largest African American-owned media companies with the newspaper readership reaching a key demographic of local consumers averaging more than $50,000 in annual income.

The woman-owned Hansen Global Event Management (HGEM) has gained a reputation as a leading events management firm for producing public health events around the country; most recently with the American College of Cardiology (ACC), a national not-for-profit organization that promotes cardiovascular health.

Firm Chief Executive Officer Gilda Caputo-Hansen said: “we are excited about the partnership with Jackie Hampton and the Jackson, Miss. based newspaper, The  Mississippi Link, as well as  the greater Biloxi community.”

“If you are in business, looking to expand your company or reach new consumers, the Connect 1 Conference will show you that Mississippi is open for business,” Hansen-Caputo said. “Networking, technology, jobs, expertise and business opportunities all in one place.”

For more information and to register for the conference, go to the conference website:  connect1conference.com