Amanda Ellis
It’s new, improved — and you don’t want to miss our summer celebration of all things local and cultural, diverse and inclusive.
From shopping to business networking to local music and food, DIVERSIFY week June 19 – 23 offers themed daily pop-up markets and concludes with the Chamber’s annual DIVERSIFY Luncheon.
We’re building a business community that includes everyone.
“DIVERSIFY is how the Chamber is building an inclusive business community,” said Maria Noel, Chattanooga Chamber Director of Diversity and Inclusion. “Chattanooga doesn’t have anything else like this that brings together businesses representing all the different people here – from entrepreneurs to people who love the outdoors to all kinds of artists.”
DIVERSIFY’s daily pop-up markets, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 19-22 at Miller Plaza’s Waterhouse Pavilion, celebrate what makes our region special, showcasing small and large, rural and urban, multigenerational and multicultural, innovative, sustainable and creative businesses, as well as the nonprofits that support our communities.
DIVERSIFY markets give vendors an opportunity to sell merchandise, market services and promote events to thousands of area residents and visitors.
The markets are open to the public, and are a great place to shop for unique gifts, enjoy cultural cuisine, discover new businesses and services, or network with business and government employees, innovators, startups and entrepreneurs.
Presented by EPB and the Chattanooga Chamber, the DIVERSIFY Luncheon & Business Fair concludes the week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, June 23, highlighting diversity and inclusion strategies for local businesses.
The DIVERSIFY luncheon features a keynote by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Isabel Wilkerson.
Wilkerson is the author of The New York Times bestseller “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration,” which explores the cultural and political impact of decades of migration in which African-American citizens left the South.
The first African-American female journalist to win a Pulitzer prize, Wilkerson worked as Chicago Bureau Chief of The New York Times. A book-signing session with Wilkerson will follow the DIVERSIFY luncheon.
Corporate sponsor and major employer booths at the DIVERSIFY Business Fair promote supplier diversity, business opportunities and diversity and inclusion policies and practices.
Reserve a marketplace table, luncheon ticket or business fair booth, or for more information here, or contact Maria Noel at [email protected] or 423.763.4338.
Learn more about keynote speaker Isabel Wilkerson at prhspeakers.com.
DIVERSIFY Week Schedule
Monday, June 19
What: Pop-up market featuring local retail vendors
When and where: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Miller Plaza’s Waterhouse Pavilion downtown
Look for vendors like:
What-a-Hat, offering traditional and contemporary, casual and dress hats for men and women
Did you know? The first date of this year’s marketplace, June 19, coincides with Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the western United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers landed in Galveston, Texas with news of the end of the Civil War and that those enslaved were now free.
Tuesday, June 20
What: Buy local pop-up market
When and where: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Miller Plaza’s Waterhouse Pavilion downtown
Look for vendors like:
TrailDrops, offering dehydrated and freeze-dried meals for hiking and camping trips
Wednesday, June 21: Have Lunch with Us
What: Pop-up market featuring restaurants and food vendors
When and where: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Miller Plaza’s Waterhouse Pavilion downtown
Look for vendors like:
Calamansi Café, offering Filipino-American cuisine
Thursday, June 22
What: Pop-up market featuring a range of business services and nonprofits
When and where: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Miller Plaza’s Waterhouse Pavilion downtown
Look for vendors like:
Grand Finale Events and Décor, event-planning and design company planning everything from weddings to birthday parties
Friday, June 23
What: DIVERSIFY Luncheon & Business Fair
When and where: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center (Networking and tradeshow booths closed during the luncheon 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
