Hi, friends! It’s been about two weeks since we attended the Forbes Under 30 Summit and we’re still walking on air!

Now that we’ve had some time to process everything (because there were so many wonderful experiences to take in), I’m excited to share with you all that we loved about the Forbes Under 30 Summit!

Forbes Under 30 Summit
It’s been about two weeks since we attended the Forbes Under 30 Summit and we’re still walking on air! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Forbes Under 30 Summit
Travis was VERY excited to attend the Under 30 Summit! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

FORBES UNDER 30 SUMMIT ENRICHING & POWERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR AGE 30+

The Forbes Under 30 Summit was held at the Detroit Masonic Temple from October 27 to 30. Although the summit is targeted for entrepreneurs age 30 and below, the Under 30 Summit was an enriching and powerful experience for entrepreneurs from all walks of life.

Honestly, this was one of my concerns about attending the Under 30 Summit. Travis and I are in our mid-30s so at first, we weren’t sure if the summit was going to be a good fit for us.

After sharing my concern with a friend of mine, she encouraged me to give the summit a try. I’m so glad we attended the summit because, on Day 1 of the Forbes Under 30 Summit, we discovered the business conference was going to be an inspiring experience for us!

Serena Williams Forbes Under 30 Summit
Serena Williams was a keynote speaker at the Forbes Under 30 Summit. (Photo courtesy Forbes)
Forbes Under 30 Summit
The tracks were essentially a discussion panel featuring A-list speakers sharing insight on various business-related topics. (Photo courtesy Forbes)

VALUABLE ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPERIENCE AT THE UNDER 30 SUMMIT

We gained such valuable insight into successful entrepreneurship, effective leadership, and building professional relationships. Attendees had the opportunity to connect with other business professionals and enhance their professional skills through various industry-focused tracks. The tracks were essentially a discussion panel featuring A-list speakers who shared their insight on various business-related topics.

For instance, Detroit entrepreneur Melissa Butler (The Lip Bar Founder and CEO) was a featured keynote speaker and she discussed “navigating the workspace as a person of color and how we change our organizations and carve a path to success.”

While celebrity keynote speakers, like professional tennis player Serena Williams, shared their stores of entrepreneurship and cultivating their personal brand.

This photo was taken about 15 minutes before we left for the Detroit Masonic Temple. Travis was looking at the Under 30 Summit app to find a few tracks to attend. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

Travis loves watching entrepreneurial videos on YouTube from business experts such as Jaspreet Singh and Dan Lok. When he found out we were going to the Forbes Under 30 Summit, he immediately downloaded the Under 30 app and started studying the itinerary!

It felt like there were tons to experience at the Forbes Under 30 Summit. In fact, our list of favorite highlights is greater than ten features, but this post would be VERY long if I listed EVERYTHING we loved (haha).

So I narrowed down our list to the top ten focal points we covered at the Forbes Under 30 Summit. If you have any questions about our visit to the summit, then send me an email at jennifer@goodlifedetroit.com or connect with me on Instagram!

I narrowed down our list to the top ten focal points we covered at the Forbes Under 30 Summit. Hope you enjoy today’s post! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

10 THINGS WE LOVED ABOUT THE FORBES UNDER 30 SUMMIT

1. UNDER 30 MUSIC FESTIVAL

We enjoyed dancing and singing along to our favorite songs at the Under 30 Music Festival. Breakout singer Katini kicked off the concert. Following Katini was R&B singer Normani. She sang her latest single “Motivation” and my favorite song “Waves” (featuring 6LACK). Rap artist 21 Savage performed next with the Chain Smokers closing out the concert.

Normani Forbes Under 30 Summit
Normani’s performance at the Under 30 Summit was fire! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Under 30 Summit
21 Savage Under 30 Summit
21 Savage performed so effortlessly at the Under 30 Summit. Travis and I really enjoyed his performance on Day 1 of the summit! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

2. GREAT NETWORKING EXPERIENCES

The Forbes Under 30 Summit was a wonderful opportunity to network with many business professionals and community leaders. We connected with a few industry professionals during the summit and the evening social activities. It was inspiring to hear other entrepreneurs share their stories about their business and what motivates them to keep pressing forward.

Detroit photographer
It was great connecting with Detroit photographer Jessica Golich! Follow her on IG! She covers all of the best concerts and media events. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Femology Meagan Ward
Happy to have connected with Femology Founder Meagan Ward! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

3. INSTAGRAMMABLE PICTURE BACKDROPS

Since I love photography and sharing my photographs on social media, I was delighted to discover the creative picture backdrops at the summit. The coolest background was the Forbes Magazine box. It was designed to look as if your photograph was on a magazine cover. This was a big hit with attendees!

Forbes 30 Under 30
The Forbes magazine photo box was my favorite photography set up at the event. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Under 30 Summit
Travis on Day 1 of the Forbes Under 30 Summit. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Forbes Under 30 Summit
I was delighted to discover the different picture backdrops at the summit. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

4. MEETING CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST DERAY MCKESSON

On Day 2 of the Forbes Under 30 Summit, I attended the track called “Law & Policy: How to Start a Movement.” Under 30 Assistant Editor, Alexandra Sternlicht moderated the discussion.

Guest speakers included John Tass-Parker (Head of Politics and Government for Instagram), Deray McKesson (Educator and Civil Rights Activist), and Jewell Jones (State Representative, MI).

Forbes Under 30 Summit
Guest speakers included John Tass-Parker (Head of Politics and Government for Instagram), Deray McKesson (Educator and Civil Rights Activist), and Jewell Jones (State Representative, MI). (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

I have been a long-time admirer of Deray Mckeeson’s work. It was a pleasure to hear him speak and meet him in person. After the track ended, I asked Deray why the topic of “How to Start a Movement” was important to him.

“I think that part of our work is to figure out how do we tell the truth in as many spaces as possible so I think about when we were in the street of St. Louis…People who had a different vision of what the world could be and that’s what I always thought of the 30 Under 30 crowd.”

Deray McKesson, Civil Rights Activist
“I think that part of our work is to figure out how do we tell the truth in as many spaces as possible.” — Deray McKesson (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

5. AFTER-HOURS ACTIVITIES IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT

Another feature we really enjoyed at the Under 30 Summit was connecting with attendees at the after-hours events. It was a great opportunity for us to connect with professionals from around the world!

We loved the Under 30 Summit Pub Crawl held at The Belt and Parker Alley in Downtown Detroit. Travis and I first stopped at The Brakeman for a quick bite to eat.

The Forbes Under 30 Bar Crawl was a lot of fun! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
We really enjoyed the Under 30 Summit after-hours events were an opportunity to connect with other professionals from around the world! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Detroit bloggers

After dinner, we headed to the Deluxx Fluxx where many Under 30 attendees were hanging out. (The line to get in was wrapped around the building!)

We ended our night with pumpkin ice cream and hot apple cider from Huddle’s. It’s a fairly new frozen custard shop located by Parker’s Alley in Downtown Detroit!

Deluxx Fluxx
After dinner, we hung out at the Deluxx Fluxx. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Deluxx Fluxx Detroit
Detroit food
Have you tried Huddle’s frozen custard? (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Huddle frozen custard
Huddle’s pumpkin frozen custard is delicious! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

6. ONE-ON-ONE WITH QUAVO

The One-on-One with Quavo track was another favorite of mine. Forbes Senior Editor Zack O’Malley interviewed Quavo and the rap artist discussed his fame with Migos, entrepreneurship endeavors, and how he gives back to his community in Atlanta, Georgia.

Quavo Migos
Rap artist Quavo (1/3 of Migos) talked about his entrepreneurship endeavors. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Under 30 Summit
This crowd was hype! They were excited to see Quavo! Confession: I was, too! 😉
(Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Forbes Under 30 Summit
Quavo had a charismatic, smooth personality. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

 7. STYLISH BUSINESS FASHION

The stylish business fashion was another favorite highlight. Although the dress attire was business casual, many Forbes Under 30 attendees were dressed to impress. From Dapper business suits to elegant dresses with stylish sneakers, it was amazing to see all of the different business fashion styles.

I was definitely inspired to try a few new styles. Two favorite styles I saw were stylish sneakers with business attire and a bright, fluorescent business suit pictured below.

Forbes Under 30 Summit
Sneakers with leather pants were a popular business fashion style at the Forbes Under 30 Summit. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
men's business fashion
From Dapper business suits to elegant dresses with stylish sneakers, it was amazing to see all of the different business fashion styles. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Under 30 Summit
Talk about standing out in a crowd! I loved her yellow business suit! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

8. TASTE OF THE MIDWEST FOOD SHOWCASE

Now, this was a real treat (pun intended)! It’s no secret that I love food events so when I found out about the Midwest Food Festival, I immediately saved the time slot to my calendar.

Held in the historic State Savings Bank in Downtown Detroit, the food festival showcased talented chefs from the Under 30 List Members. I spotted a few Detroit-based businesses, too, like Detroit Hives and Sister Pie.

Detroit Hives
Detroit Hives was a featured food business at the Midwest Food Festival. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Midwest food festival
The cookies from Night Owl were SO GOOD!! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Under 30 Summit
The Midwest Food Festival was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to discover a few Detroit businesses! (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)

9. CELEBRITY GUEST PANELISTS

The lineup of the A-list speakers at the Forbes Under 30 Summit was quite impressive. World-famous tennis player Serena Williams and NBA basketball All-Star Kevin Durant were big favorites of the summit.

Other celebrity guests included Detroit Pistons basketball player Blake Griffin, U.S. Figure Skater and Olympian Michelle Kwan, actress and Detroit Blows co-founder Sophia Bush, and actress Olivia Munn.

Blake Griffin Detroit Pistons
Detroit Piston’s basketball player Blake Griffin shared his story of entrepreneurship on Day 1 of the Forbes Under 30 Summit. (Photo courtesy Good Life Detroit)
Kevin Durant Forbes Under 30
The lineup of the A-list speakers at the Forbes Under 30 Summit was quite impressive! NBA Basketball All-Star Kevin Durant was a popular favorite at the Under 30 Summit. (Photo courtesy Forbes)

WOW! Right? The Forbes Under Summit was a phenomenal experience! Travis and I have already started talking about making plans to attend next year’s summit. We definitely plan to hit the ground running and start right when it begins!

under 30 summit
We’re excited about the 2020 Forbes Under 30 Summit! We definitely plan to hit the ground running and start right when it begins!
Forbes Under 30 Summit
Thank you, Forbes Under 30 Summit!

ARE YOU GOING TO THE 2020 FORBES UNDER 30 SUMMIT IN DETROIT?

The Forbes Under 30 Summit returns again to Detroit next year October 25 – 27, 2020. Click here to purchase tickets for next year’s exciting summit. Special thanks to Forbes for inviting Good Life Detroit to attend the Forbes Under 30 Summit!

Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are courtesy of Good Life Detroit. Please credit Jennifer Hamra, www.goodlifedetroit and @goodlifedetroit on all social media platforms.

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Written by

Jennifer Hamra

Freelance creative Jennifer Hamra created her blog Good Life Detroit in 2015 after relocating from Tennessee to Southeast Michigan.

Inspired by her love for personal blogging and photography, Jennifer likes to share her favorite Detroit things, from cool places to visit (the hidden gems are her favorite!) to the amazing people she has connected with over the years.

When she's not busy juggling family life and her creative projects, you can find her at an art gallery, community event, farmers market, or spending quiet time at home with a good book and cup of tea.

Jennifer lives in the metro Detroit area with her husband Travis and their six children.

Connect with Jennifer on social media @goodlifedetroit on all social media platforms or via email at [email protected].