BBQ for Bravery
2026-06-20 12:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
A KCBS-Sanctioned Masters Barbecue Competition Benefiting Veterans​

Saturday June 20, 2026

12 pm-4 pm at the Duck Pond in Alcoa, Tennessee.

Whether you’re a BBQ enthusiast, looking for a fun afternoon outside, or a way to celebrate Dad, BBQ for Bravery brings East Tennessee together!​

Our annual BBQ competition is a sanctioned event showcasing some of the best BBQ teams, competing for big prizes and raising money for veterans.

Open to the public

Competition BBQ available for purchase​

Family-friendly atmosphere

BYOB, chairs, and tents

Local veterans paired with competition teams

Awards ceremony for Grand Champion and each division (chicken, ribs, pulled pork, and brisket)

Supporting veterans through Beloved Roots Ranch

​

Sloss.Tech Conference in Birmingham, AL
2026-06-24 - 2026-06-26 | Downtown Birmingham, Alabama
Sloss Tech is the Southeast’s premier annual technology and innovation conference held in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, focusing on fostering, connecting, and showcasing the region’s growing tech scene. Founded in 2015, the three-day event features expert speakers, breakout sessions, and a major startup pitch competition with significant funding.

Blount Coffee Club
2026-06-25 07:45 - 09:00 (America/New_York) | Simmons Bank, 710 S. Foothills Plaza Dr, Maryville, TN, 37801, United States
Start your day with new business connections at our Coffee Clubs, held from 7:45 to 9:00 am. These gatherings are designed to help our members build relationships and gain exposure for their businesses or organizations in a welcoming “open house” environment.
We are pleased to offer a special one-time opportunity for non-members to attend as a guest and experience the benefits of being a part of the Chamber.

Anyone affiliated with a Chamber member business is welcome to attend, not just the designated representatives listed on the Chamber membership.

Pathway Connect Event at KEC
2026-06-25 11:30 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, 17 Market Square
Discover how AI can help you better manage cash flow, simplify accounting, and make smarter business decisions. Designed for small business owners who are curious about AI but unsure where to start, this session will share practical ways to use AI tools to save time, improve financial visibility, and support business growth!

2026 Nashpreneurs Conference
2026-06-30 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | The National Museum of African American Music
Theme: Built to WIN: Leadership That Drives Results
The 2026 Nashprenuers Conference: Built to WIN is a high-impact half-day leadership experience designed for small business owners who are ready to lead with clarity, compete with confidence, and grow with intention. This year’s conference moves beyond inspiration and into execution—equipping entrepreneurs with the leadership mindset, strategies, and tools needed to navigate today’s fast-moving business environment.
Headlining the experience is keynote speaker Seth Yelorda, who will challenge attendees to rethink leadership through the lens of discipline, resilience, and results. His dynamic keynote will set the tone for a day focused on sharpening decision-making, strengthening accountability, and elevating leadership capacity at every stage of business growth.
Designed for small business owners, Built to WIN delivers practical insights through curated sessions, peer exchange, and actionable frameworks – helping leaders navigate change, build ownership-driven cultures, leverage AI with purpose, and implement systems for sustainable growth.
Key Takeaways:

Lead with Precision: Strengthen decision-making, accountability, and execution as a business leader
Build to Scale: Strengthen relationships while building teams, systems, and processes that support sustainable growth
Win with Strategy: Sharpen your competitive edge through focused planning, positioning, and disciplined execution

YOU ARE NOT YOUR BUSINESS
Facilitator: Brittany N. Cole, Keynote Speaker & CEO, Career Thrivers
Your business can be copied. Your story cannot. In an era where products, services, and even marketing tactics can be replicated, the one thing competitors cannot duplicate is the leader behind the business. In this session, Brittany N. Cole helps entrepreneurs and business owners uncover how their experiences, values, and perspective shape the way they lead and influence others. Attendees will gain practical insights on building a leadership brand rooted in authenticity and trust, while learning the difference between promoting a business and establishing a reputation that opens doors, creates opportunities, and drives lasting impact.
INFLUENCE IN ACTION
Panel Discussion featuring Stephanie Richardson, Chris Berry, Danny Pippin, Tiffany Napper, Brian Lowenthal, and Rachel Moore-Beard.
Moderator: Anna-Vija McCloud.
Building on the foundation of leadership identity, this dynamic panel highlights how small business owners translate who they are into how they influence. Panelists will share insights and perspectives that shape the upcoming leadership development workshop series launching this fall—offering a preview of the strategies, skills, and experiences designed to strengthen leadership capacity over time.

KEYNOTE: SETH YELORDA
Headlining the experience is keynote speaker Seth Yelorda, who will challenge attendees to rethink leadership through the lens of discipline, resilience, and results. His dynamic keynote will wrap-up the conference by focusing on sharpening decision-making, strengthening accountability, and elevating leadership capacity at every stage of business growth.

Schedule:
8–8:50 a.m. | Registration & Breakfast
8:50–9a.m. | Opening Remarks
9–9:45a.m. | You Are Not Your Business: Brittany N. Cole
9:45–10a.m. | Break
10–10:45a.m. | Influence In Action: Panel Discussion
10:45–11:05a.m. | Break
11:05–11:50 a.m. | Keynote Speaker: Seth Yelorda
11:50–Noon | 2026 Nashpreneur of The Year Award & Closing

Blount Afternoon Mixer
2026-07-09 15:45 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, 123 Cromwell Dr., Townsend, TN, 37882, United States
Get out of the office after work and unwind with the Afternoon Mixer.
Mixers are designed to offer our members the opportunity to build business relationships with other members and to gain exposure for their business or organization in an “open house” setting and open to anyone associated with a Chamber member business.
Participation is not reserved to the representative(s) listed on the Chamber membership.

Blount Small Business Peer Group
2026-07-15 08:30 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Lambert’s Southern Pie & Bake Shop, 1116 East Broadway Ave, Maryville, TN, 37801, United States
Join us for the next Small Business Peer-to-Peer Group meeting on Wednesday, July 15 at 8:30 a.m. at Lambert’s Southern Pie & Bake Shop.
This group is designed for small business owners and operators to connect in a confidential, supportive environment. It is not a referral or sales group—our focus is on sharing knowledge, resources, and real-world experiences related to running a business.
Participants will be divided into small groups to discuss key topics such as: Human Resources Marketing Strategies Customer Acquisition Growth Challenges Strategic Planning Customer Service Financial Management Come ready to engage, learn, and support fellow business leaders.
We look forward to another productive and engaging discussion. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Lambert’s Southern Pie & Bake Shop
1116 East Broadway
Maryville, TN 37801 United States

Event Contact
Brenda Farner
(865) 273-1202
Send Email
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 (8:30 AM – 10:00 AM) (EDT)

AI for Manufacturing (Memphis)
2026-07-16
Tennessee manufacturers, AI is reshaping the industry, and we want to make sure you’re ahead of it.
Join us July 16 in Memphis for a full day of hands-on AI training built specifically for manufacturing teams at every level.
Whether you’re just getting started or ready to go deeper, we’ve got a session for you:
🔵 Morning: AI for Manufacturing — Foundations & Applied Practice
🔵 Afternoon: AI for Manufacturing — Applied Deep Dive
Walk away with real skills, a strategic roadmap, and the confidence to bring AI into your operation.
📍 Memphis, TN | July 16, 2026
🔗 Register for one or both sessions: https://buff.ly/Kv2fBcY
This training is in partnership with Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Making Your Products Go Viral: Basics of PLG (Nashville)
2026-07-16 09:00 - 10:30 (America/Chicago) | The Lighthouse
The best products sell themselves. Not because of a slick sales team — because the product IS the growth engine.
​That’s product-led growth. And if you’re building 0→1, it might be the cheapest, fastest way to find your first thousand users.
​In this workshop, we’ll break down the basics:

​What PLG actually means (and when it’s NOT the right move)
​The mechanics of building virality into your product
​Real examples of products that grew without a sales motion
​How to spot your own viral loop — and what to do once you find it

Vanderbilt Life Science Showcase
2026-07-23 13:00 - 17:30 (America/Chicago) | Vanderbilt Student Life Center
About the Life Science Showcase
Vanderbilt University’s Industry Collaborations Division is proud to present this year’s Life Science Showcase, centered on the theme AI in Translational Research. As artificial intelligence and machine learning reshape the earliest stages of the research pipeline — spanning target discovery, multiomics analysis, predictive modeling, and the data ecosystems that underpin it all — this event brings Vanderbilt’s cutting-edge research into conversation with the industries, investors, and innovators driving real-world impact.

Agenda

1:00 – 1:10 p.m.
Opening Remarks
1:10 – 2:00 p.m.
Vanderbilt Innovations in AI for Life Sciences
2:00 – 2:25 p.m.
AI Research Centers at Vanderbilt: Capabilities & Collaborations
2:25 – 3:00 p.m.
AI in R&D: Industry Perspectives
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Networking Break with AI researchers
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Panel: Will AI Replace Experimental Science? A Cross-Disciplinary Debate
4:30 – 4:45 p.m.
Closing Remarks
4:45 – 5:30 p.m.
Happy Hour & Poster Session

What to Expect
The Showcase will feature presentations by leading Vanderbilt investigators leveraging AI and ML across early-stage research, from mining large-scale biological datasets to accelerating candidate identification and validation. Alongside Vanderbilt researchers, industry voices will offer perspective on how AI-driven tools and data strategies are being deployed to bridge the gap between fundamental discovery and therapeutic development.
Expert panel discussions will explore the opportunities and challenges unique to this early translational space — including data quality and integration, model interpretability, and building the research-industry partnerships needed to move discoveries forward responsibly and efficiently.
The event also offers rich networking opportunities connecting attendees with researchers, biotech and pharma partners, investors, and economic development organizations — all gathered in an environment designed to foster the kind of cross-sector relationships that turn promising science into real-world solutions.
Who Should Join
Whether you work in computational biology, data science, drug discovery, or life sciences investment, the Vanderbilt Life Science Showcase offers a focused opportunity to engage with early-stage AI-driven research and explore what’s next at the frontier of translational innovation. Join us as Vanderbilt and Nashville help lead this exciting new chapter in biomedical science.

The AI Summit
2026-07-29 08:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Cherokee Country Club
Learn how to understand it, apply it and outpace your competition.

Understand It. Apply It. Outpace Your Competition!
“No fluff. No jargon. Just real strategies you can implement immediately.”

Walk away with real-world AI applications already being used inside growing companies.
Featuring technology leaders from InfoSystems and Allevia Technology — working on the front lines of AI implementation.

Location: Cherokee Country Club, Knoxville, TN
When: Wednesday, July 29th
Time: 8:30 am – 1:30 pm
Lunch will be provided.
Special C12 Member Rate: $100
General Admission: $150

C12 is a community of Christian business leaders who attend a monthly advisory forum to share experiences and learn together using an MBA-level monthly curriculum.

Blount Coffee Club
2026-07-30 07:45 - 09:00 (America/New_York) | Blount Partnership
Start your day with new business connections at our Coffee Clubs, held from 7:45 to 9:00 am. These gatherings are designed to help our members build relationships and gain exposure for their businesses or organizations in a welcoming “open house” environment.

Anyone affiliated with a Chamber member business is welcome to attend, not just the designated representatives listed on the Chamber membership.

AI for Manufacturing: Foundations & Applied Practice (Knoxville)
2026-08-06 08:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Institute for Advanced Materiuals and Manufacturing, 2641 Osprey Vista Way, Knoxville
AI for Manufacturing: Foundations & Applied Practice – August 6, 2026 – Knoxville, TN

Date: August 6, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT

Register Now

Event Description:

A Practical, Hands-On Introduction to AI Tools for Tennessee Manufacturers
Artificial intelligence is no longer a future technology; it is already being used by manufacturers across Tennessee to improve productivity, reduce administrative burden, and solve problems faster. The challenge for most organizations is not whether to adopt AI, but how to use it effectively, consistently, and with confidence.
This workshop provides a practical, applied introduction to AI tools in a manufacturing context. It is designed for operations managers, supervisors, quality leads, continuous improvement professionals, and frontline leaders who want to understand what AI can realistically do for their facility. This is an entry-level course; no technical background, no prior AI experience, and no technology training of any kind is required. This is a working session built around manufacturing scenarios, not a technology lecture.
What You’ll Learn
Participants will move through the core skills needed to use AI tools effectively in a manufacturing environment. The workshop emphasizes practical application, hands-on exercises, and frameworks your team can take back and use the same day.
You will learn how to:

Understand how generative AI works and why manufacturing executives are reporting measurable returns from it
Write effective prompts that produce reliable, consistent, and useful outputs
Avoid the most common prompting mistakes that lead to wasted time and poor results
Apply a structured prompting framework to real manufacturing tasks including quality documentation, shift reporting, continuous improvement planning, and supplier communication
Evaluate AI outputs critically and maintain human judgment in the decision-making process

This workshop builds practical AI capability across your organization and gives teams a repeatable framework for identifying where AI adds value.
Who Should Attend
Operations managers, plant managers, supervisors, quality leads, continuous improvement professionals, workforce development coordinators, and any frontline leader responsible for productivity or team performance. This is a beginner-level course. No previous AI, technology, or computer science training of any kind is required.

AI for Manufacturing: Applied Deep Dive (Knoxville)
2026-08-06 13:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Institute for Advanced Materiuals and Manufacturing, 2641 Osprey Vista Way, Knoxville
Date: August 6, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM EDT

Register Now

Event Description:

From Awareness to Application — A Focused Half-Day on One High-Impact Manufacturing Topic
Understanding AI is a starting point. Knowing how to apply it to a specific operational challenge is where the real value begins. This workshop takes a single, high-impact manufacturing application and explores it in depth — from the problem it solves, to how AI tools are configured for it, to how teams implement and sustain it in a real facility environment.
Each session focuses on a specific manufacturing application, giving participants concentrated, hands-on experience with AI in a context directly relevant to their operation. Sessions are designed to stand on their own; no prior attendance is required.
How Each Session Is Structured
Every Applied Deep Dive session follows the same format regardless of topic. Participants work through the application from the ground up: understanding the problem, exploring how AI addresses it, building the tools and prompts specific to that use case, and testing outputs against real manufacturing scenarios. Sessions are hands-on throughout. You will leave with configured tools, tested prompts, and an implementation framework tailored to the session topic.
Who Should Attend
Anyone who has completed the AI for Manufacturing: Foundations session or who has working familiarity with AI tools and wants to go deeper on a specific application. Operations leads, quality managers, maintenance supervisors, CI professionals, and plant managers will find the most direct value

The Impact of Energy Summit Knoxville
2026-08-12 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Covenant Health Park
Tennessee Business Forum (TBF) and ThinkTennessee are coordinating The Impact of Energy Summit. The event will bring together business leaders, elected officials, industry experts, and other key stakeholders for a timely discussion on how energy policy, infrastructure, and innovation are shaping Tennessee’s future.
Attendees will gain valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges facing the state’s energy sector, while making meaningful connections with leaders from across Tennessee and beyond.

UT Patent & Trademark Resource Center Grand Opening
2026-08-14 09:30 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | John C. Hodges Library
Join the University of Tennessee, Knoxville University Libraries and the ORIED Office of Entrepreneurship & New Ventures as we celebrate the official launch of the Patent & Trademark Resource Center (PTRC), a new hub for innovation, intellectual property education, and community entrepreneurship support. This full‑day event features campus leaders, expert speakers, hands‑on instruction, and opportunities to explore UT’s growing innovation ecosystem.
WHEN: Friday, August 14th, 2026, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: John C. Hodges Library, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Small Business & Entrepreneurial Conference (Cookeville)
2026-08-28 | Leslie Town Centre, 1 W 1st Street, Cookeville
The Small Business & Entrepreneurial Conference is the Upper Cumberland’s premier one-day event for business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders who are serious about growth. Hosted by The Biz Foundry, this is a rare chance to learn from powerful speakers, connect with your community, and walk away with tools you can use immediately.

Women in Tech Expo: Grow Better Together
2026-09-18 | Knoxville Convention Center
Network with a diverse group of talented women and invest in your personal & professional growth with a variety of interactive workshops

The Knoxville Technology Council’s Women in Tech are hosting the fifth annual Women in Tech Expo: Grow Better Together!
Join a diverse group of talented women and invest in your personal & professional growth with a variety of motivating workshops, networking, keynote presentation, and more!
Your ticket includes:

Professional speakers sharing professional & personal growth advice
Breakfast
Lunch
Happy Hour
Networking with peers and local leaders
Professional Headshot
Women in Tech swag
Prize giveaways from local vendors

Early Bird Tickets are on sale June 15-26. Save $60 off the standard ticket price!
Keynote speaker Dr. Jermaine Davis will bring energy, humor, and motivation as he shares how to turn setbacks into strategic comebacks. Dr. Davis holds a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership and has partnered with prominent organizations, including 3M, the FBI, West Point, and Yale University, to build high-performing teams and thriving workplace cultures. His own story started in the Chicago projects where he lost six family members to violence. That journey fuels his message and led him to become Founder of the Dump The Slump Institute, author 11 books, and inspire leaders at every level.

2026 NEXT Awards + Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame, Presented by Amazon
2026-10-19 17:30 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Schermerhorn Symphony Center
NEXT Awards and Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame is entrepreneurship’s biggest night to honor the up and comers, the game-changers and those that have left a legacy in their wake.
