Invest Fest, the financial education conference, returns to Atlanta in August. This is his fourth year that the conference has been held in the city.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said it made sense for the city to host the conference because Atlanta is a place where people come “to secure their stuff, as they say.”
“If you don't have economic knowledge, you can't do that,” Dickens said at a press conference Thursday announcing the event dates.
Credit: Olivia Boudin
Credit: Olivia Boudin
Invest Fest is hosted by the operators of Earn Your Leisure (EYL), a popular financial education platform with podcasts, online courses, events, and curriculum for schools. EYL's Instagram and YouTube accounts each have around 1.5 million followers.
However, EYL has also been accused by some online critics of providing bad financial advice and providing a platform for scammers. Rashad Bilal, co-founder of EYL and Invest Fest, said the company has hired someone to vet all potential guests.
Last year's InvestFest drew about 50,000 attendees to the Georgia World Congress Center over three days, Bilal said. This year's conference will be held at the same location from August 23rd to 25th. Bilal expects about 60,000 people to visit throughout the weekend this year.
Although Bilal and InvestFest's two co-founders are based in New York, they decided to hold the conference in Atlanta because of the city's status as a hub for black business.
“There is no other place like this in America,” Bilal added.
Past Invest Fest speakers have included billionaire investor and philanthropist Robert Smith, as well as Tyler Perry, Steve Harvey, and Dan Cathy. EYL he plans to announce some of this year's speakers in April.
This year, Bilal said, the focus will be on ordinary people participating, rather than celebrities. During the press conference, he teased giveaways planned for the conference, including EYL's $5,000 grant to local Atlanta company Head's Plumbing.
Credit: Olivia Boudin
Credit: Olivia Boudin
Tickets for the conference will go on sale March 23rd and cost $250.
For some people, especially those who aren't financially stable, $250 for a weekend of programming can be expensive. Bilal said attendees will receive more education than the hundreds of dollars they spend at the conference.
“There's a reason why people go to church, and there's a reason why people go on pilgrimages, right?'' he said. “When it comes to inspiration and motivation, being with thousands of people is more productive than being alone in your room.”
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