'Making Waves' is Theme of 27th Forum on Workplace Inclusion in Minneapolis March 17-19

The Forum on Workplace Inclusion, the largest diversity and inclusion conference in the country, will run March 17-19 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The theme of the 27th annual event is “making waves.”

Sponsored by Prudential and presented by the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas, the forum will bring together 1,1oo participants from 35 states and more than 300 companies.

The forum is designed for professionals who manage a diverse workforce, are responsible for diversity within organizations of all sizes, or work with multicultural clientele.

The forum includes a career fair and career services center, general sessions with keynote speakers, six in-depth seminars, 50 concurrent sessions led by experts in diversity, and numerous receptions and networking opportunities.

Keynote speakers are Emmy Award-winning public radio and television journalist Maria Hinojosa, and Eddie Obeng, a British author and professor at the School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Henley Business School in England.

In addition to seminars and sessions, the forum will include:

  • A career services center, free and open to the public, will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, March 17 and 18.
  • A career fair, also free and open to the public, will be held Wednesday, March 18. More than 50 Midwest companies will be represented at the Cargill-sponsored fair.
  • A forum marketplace will serve as the conference hub and a networking location.
  • A new-attendee orientation will be offered this year to help new participants get the most out of the conference.

Participants can choose to attend all or any of the days. Information can be found at the forum’s website.

The forum began in 1988 as a two-hour video conference. In addition to its professional staff, more than 60 volunteers assist with planning workshops and logistics, and more than 150 volunteers will help staff the conference.