Description

With the FIFA World Cup 2026™ on the horizon, Seattle is ready to score a winning goal of global attention and economic growth. These world-class events will reshape the region, and the 2025 GSBA Economic Development Conference is your guide to leveraging these opportunities and taking your business to the next level. 

Starting with breakfast at 8:30am on May 22, the Amazon Arizona Building will be hosting our second annual conference to prepare your business for one of Seattle's most exciting opportunities! 

What to Expect at the 2025 GSBA Economic Development Conference

✅Get the inside scoop on how local businesses can leverage the FIFA World Cup: Hear from the FIFA World Cup local planning committee on what to expect for World Cup 2026 and how it will impact the landscape of the city, as well as an economic outlook from Visit Seattle's SVP & Chief Strategy Officer Michael Woody.

✅Fuel your digital strategy with a dynamic keynote by Anthony Shop, CEO of Social Driver. In this inspiring keynote, Anthony Shop, Co-Founder of Social Driver and host of the Chief Influencer podcast, will share actionable strategies that the GSBA community can apply to advance their companies and the causes they champion. Grounded in lessons learned from many of the inspiring leaders featured on the Chief Influencer podcast, this talk will showcase how the most influential leaders break through the noise today. Chief Influencers from the worlds of business and diplomacy to politics and heathcare all exhibit the same five behaviors. They start in the center, embrace the gray, share the stage, learn the lingo, and go for growth. Whether you’re an expert communicator or just starting out, this session is designed to build both the confidence and capabilities needed to lead with authenticity in the digital age.

✅Connect like never before. Build relationships with corporate leaders, government officials, and fellow entrepreneurs during breakfast and lunch networking sessions designed to spark meaningful connections and foster collaboration

✅Catered lunch from Madres Kitchen. Madres Kitchen is a Latinx owned, Seattle company for food lovers. Their menus are lovingly prepared by chefs with diverse palates, sourced and served in a way that respects the planet.

About Keynote Speaker Anthony Shop

Anthony Shop is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Social Driver, a leading marketing and communications firm with offices in Washington, DC, and Washington State, and with clients across the United States. Anthony is also Chairman of the National Digital Roundtable, the premier convener of digital innovators, leaders and policy shapers. Anthony has been recognized as an “OUTstanding LGBT Role Model” by The Financial Times and “40 Under 40” by The Washington Business Journal. A former newspaper reporter, Anthony was the first new media professional elected to the National Press Club’s Board of Governors. Prior to founding Social Driver, he served as press secretary for a top U.S. congressional race. Anthony serves on the board of the Public Affairs Council and chairs the Advisory Board for LearnServe International. He earned his MBA from The George Washington University School of Business, where he teaches as an adjunct lecturer.

www.socialdriver.com

Also Featuring Special Guests: 

Nick Brown and Michael Woody

Michael Woody - Visit Seattle

Michael Woody is the Senior Vice President/Chief Strategy Officer for Visit Seattle, the Convention and Visitors bureau for Seattle and King County.  In his current role he oversees the organizations strategic plan, signature events, public relations, corporate communications, public affairs and advocacy, government affairs, membership, sponsorship, strategic partnerships and destination experience.

Michael has more than 36 years of leadership experience in hospitality and tourism, with an emphasis on operations, sales, marketing, communications, and public relations. Prior to joining the Visit Seattle team, his career has taken him from managing restaurants, directing food and beverage operations for a luxury hotel brand, working for several convention and visitors bureaus throughout Texas, running operations for a global meetings association, and serving as the publisher of all inflight magazines for a global airline.

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown

Attorney General Brown will share his vision for the economic future of Washington State, including the role that small and diverse businesses will play in shaping equitable growth.

About WA AG Nick Brown:

Nick Brown is Washington state’s 19th attorney general, elected into office in November 2024. Nick believes the attorney general’s role is to serve as the people’s advocate. Having grown up in Steilacoom, Nick is a proud product of public schools and the son of public servants.

Nick began his legal career in the Army JAG corps, where he took on predatory businesses taking advantage of soldiers and their families. He was awarded a Bronze Star in 2005. Later, as lead counsel for Gov. Jay Inslee, Nick led the work to put a moratorium on the death penalty in Washington. In Trump’s first term, Nick worked directly with the governor and then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson in taking on the president’s early unlawful actions, including his Muslim Ban.  

In 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Nick to become the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington where he worked to fight drug cartels and sex trafficking, addressing the fentanyl crisis and reducing violent crime. He also chaired the Attorney General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Civil Rights.

As attorney general, Nick’s key areas of focus include protecting public safety, advancing environmental and worker protections, standing up for civil rights, and holding the powerful to account when they violate our laws and harm the people of our state. 

Hedda McLendon from SeattleFWC26 Talks FIFA and How Seattle Businesses Can Prepare

Hedda McLendon shares how the world’s biggest sporting event is creating lasting economic opportunities right here in Washington. From small business initiatives to community activations like the Unity Loop and augmented reality experiences, Hedda will discuss how the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026™ is shaping a legacy of innovation, inclusion, and long-term benefits for our region’s diverse communities. Don’t miss this exclusive insight into how your business can get "FIFA Ready" for 2026 and beyond!

Get ready for the returning LGBTBE pitch competition, only at EDC! Watch small businesses compete for a coveted spot to attend the NGLCC's yearly conference, and get live feedback from our panel of sharks! 

Special Thanks to This Year's Sponsors:

Title Partner: Wells Fargo

Supporting Partner: T-Mobile

Venue Partner: Amazon

Catered Lunch Provided by: