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. Join us at the Amazon Arizona Building for our second annual conference and prepare your business!

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

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

Compete in the highly anticipated LGBTBE Pitch Competition!

Think Shark Tank—but cooler. Pitch where one deserving entrepreneur will win an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2025 NGLCC Conference, courtesy of Wells Fargo. The prize package includes conference fees, hotel accommodations, and airfare. To be eligible for the pitch competition, participants must be a GSBA member and either LGBTQ Certified or in the process of certification.

To sign up to be a part of the Pitch Competition, CLICK HERE

Whether you're here to discover new opportunities, forge powerful partnerships, or dominate the competition in our pitch contest, the 2025 GSBA Economic Development Conference is your opportunity to shape the future of business in Seattle. Don’t miss it!

Special Thanks to This Year's Sponsors: