PRESS: A Look Ahead to NGLCC’s International Business & Leadership Conference; Expanding Business Opportunities For Newcomers And Longtime Attendees.
As seen in NGLCC's News Blog.
NGLCC’s biggest event of the year is right around the corner and two business owners are approaching it with excitement and varying perspectives.
David Landgraf, Founder and Chief Experience Officer of Make It Happen Management, a full service events management and production firm, who thrives on the challenges of orchestrating exceptional events around the globe from inception to execution. His New York City-based full-service event planning firm has orchestrated high-level conferences, social events, fundraisers, executive summit meetings, webcasts, team building activities, summer outings, picnics, and one-of-a-kind destination retreats. Among the list of who's who at these well-crafted events are George W. Bush, Barack Obama and the men's No. 1 Tennis Champion Novak Djokovic, who is the celebrity sponsor of the watchmaker Seiko. (Follow the company on Instagram and Facebook @makeithappenmgmt).
Landgraf has under his belt 20-plus years of experience in the corporate world working for such financial services brands as Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, Arthur Andersen, and Barclays Capital. Over a year ago, he decided to launch Make It Happen Management that would focus on full service events, conferences and client engagement events for corporations, associations, nonprofits and select private clients. In December 2018, Make Happen Management became an NGLCC certified LGBT Business Enterprise.
Landgraf is among some 1,400 LGBT and allied business leaders expected to attend the 2019 NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference in sunny Tampa Bay, Florida at the Tampa Convention Center. The globally recognized conference is the largest LGBTQ+ business event worldwide, delivering innovative leadership programming as well as networking and engagement opportunities.
As a first time attendee, Landgraf is hoping to expand his brand recognition and build national and international business relationships for Make it Happen Management and its global capabilities. “Also, to get people to realize that events are more than just logistics, they’re creative, they're tactile, they’re experiential, they’re engaging,” he says. “I want to create experiences that people can walk away from and say, ‘that made a difference to me.”
Landgraf adds that he is looking forward to the one-to-one matchmaking networking opportunities the most, where he looks to give testimonials as to how he can Make It Happen for them and his future clients. He understands building one’s professional network means expanding opportunities for mutual success.
NGLCC offers several matchmaking sessions to meet with corporations and fellow suppliers to help entrepreneurs make meaningful connections in the business world. Having endless peers to connect with is a great reason to attend this year’s conference says President and Co-Founder Justin Nelson. “Take advantage of everything you can, from pre-conference day to networking throughout the conference,” he encourages newcomers and past attendees alike.
Landgraf takes great pride in his work with NGLCC’s Co-Founder and CEO Chance E. Mitchell and Jonathan D. Lovitz, Senior Vice President, making sure supply chain and procurement play an impactful role with his corporate clients, the LGBTQ+ community and the City of New York. He’s serious about impacting change. Landgraf calls his approach to events “Our four Es—Empower, Excite, Educate and Entertain”.
As a change agent, Landgraf sits on the advisory board of Transfernation, the first on-demand food rescue service which provides a unique opportunity where unused food from events can be picked up and delivered to the underserved at local shelters, pantries and food kitchens. It is a business close to his heart, because “I saw a lot of food going to waste at large events and buffets, and as well as decor. I would have the decor donated to local children's hospitals, Ronald McDonald House and the like. Giving Back and Doing Good, became a huge passion of mine,” he says.
Make It Happen Management is embarking on an expansion services program over the next year. The NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference affords entrepreneurs like Landgraf the opportunity to develop their careers alongside other skilled LGBTQ+ business owners and affiliates who are paving the way for LGBTQ+ economic empowerment.
