Mayor Sly James speaks with Maria Meyers, executive director of KCSourceLink, at the 2018 Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship in Kansas City, Missouri, July 2018.

The Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship

What is the Mayors Conference?

The Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship is not a conference built around keynote speakers and endless slide decks. It is built and run with the spirit of collaboration. There are no lectures on what the mayors could do better; instead, the Mayors Conference provides the space for mayors to discuss metrics, innovative policies, and ways to take action.

In 2020, mayors and city officials from more than 70 communities participated in the Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship in an online format. Focusing on working towards racial equity and systems change, the conference provided city leaders with 10 specific programs, policies, and practices that can help build inclusive economic development and strong entrepreneurial ecosystems.