February 1, 2025
The Anchorage, Alaska-based Expo will include informational sessions, vendors, and guest speakers.
The Anchorage, Alaska, community is preparing for its 10th Annual Alaska Black Business Expo and Summit on Feb. 1 and 2. Headed by organizer Jasmin Smith, this year will mark monumental growth for the program, which focuses on supporting vendors and celebrating the contributions of Black entrepreneurs by putting innovation at the forefront of economic growth and innovation.
Smith stated, “The first year we did not have any vendors. We actually just had businesses convening for training. And it was in a very small room with probably ten entrepreneurs. So to go from one small room with ten people in attendance to have over 50, 60 vendors and having the whole Anchorage museum, that’s a huge step for us in accomplishment in our event journey.”
According to Your Alaska Link, Smith’s Expo will feature expert guests and activities centered around celebrating Black excellence in business.
“They should expect to be tired because we have events happening all day, every day. We have some great panelists coming up who embody Black excellence and business excellence and will talk about their entrepreneurial journey. Then, after the expo portion, we’ll have performances and an afterparty fundraiser with Talib Kweli,” Smith continued.
Smith wants this Expo to help highlight the rich network of Alaska’s Black business community while still being an opportunity to allow smaller businesses to get more exposure.
The Expo will allow attendees to promote their business in the future by building relationships with potential customers and other businesses in similar positions.
Smith described this year’s Expo as special because it marks a major expansion from the boundaries of their Anchorage event last year.
Smith explained, “There’s always definitely pressure because you want to do a good job and you want every year to be something bigger and better than last year. But this year, it feels even more intentional than it normally does because of everything happening in the world. We want to celebrate our community, our culture, and do it inclusively.”
The organizer wants to continue growing the event because, at its roots, it has always been about Smith’s dream to provide Black entrepreneurs with an established platform to support each other.
“I wanted there to be more opportunities for us to work together. We do a lot of celebration in terms of food and dancing, but not enough education around financial literacy, economic empowerment, or generational wealth building.”
She concluded, “We focus on one aspect of the culture and forget the business and inventive side of it.”
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