Major League Baseball and the Arizona Diamondbacks to co-host the MLB Diversity Business Summit in greater Phoenix in March 2016
The Diversity Employment and Business Opportunity Career and Trade Fair Will Be Held During Spring Training For the First Time
Major League Baseball today announced that it will partner with the Arizona Diamondbacks to co-host the 2016 MLB Diversity Business Summit in Greater Phoenix in March 2016. The event, which will be held during Spring Training for the first time, will provide attendees with exclusive access to human resource and procurement executives from all 30 MLB Clubs, MLB Network, MLB Advanced Media, Minor League Baseball Clubs and MLB's Central Office.
Various elements of the MLB Diversity Business Summit will be held on March 8th and 9th (2016) at Chase Field, the Regular Season home of the D-backs, and Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the Spring Training home of the D-backs and the Colorado Rockies. The MLB Diversity Business Summit is a unique sports employment and business opportunity career and trade fair. It provides job seekers and entrepreneurs with opportunities to connect directly with decision-makers regarding employment and business opportunities. Features of the 2016 MLB Diversity Business Summit will include event-wide networking, exhibit floor access, workshops, executive roundtable discussions and a keynote speech by Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr.
"Major League Baseball is pleased to join the Arizona Diamondbacks in hosting the 2016 Diversity Business Summit, our first during Spring Training," Commissioner Manfred said. "Diversity and inclusion are core tenets of our industry. As fans gather in anticipation of the 2016 Championship Season, we will be proud to offer unparalleled access and networking toward the pursuit of business and employment opportunities within our game."
"Arizona is one of the most diverse states in our nation and we are honored to host this summit next year at a time when all eyes are on us," said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall, who serves on MLB's Diversity & Inclusion Committee. "We recognize the great importance of a diverse work force and supplier base and we are proud to help lead the way in expanding those opportunities in baseball and making this the best summit to date."
The D-backs were recently named to the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's Million Dollar Circle of Excellence as an organization that spends more than $1 million annually with minority- or women-owned businesses. Additionally, the team works closely with the African-American, Native-American and Hispanic communities, each of which are expected to be involved in the upcoming summit.
The previous three MLB Diversity Business Summits were held during the Regular Season calendar in Chicago (2012; co-hosted by the Chicago White Sox), Houston (2013; co-hosted by the Houston Astros) and New York (2014; co-hosted by the New York Yankees). In total, the three previous MLB Diversity Business Summits attracted more than 3,000 attendees from across the United States.
For more information and to save the date, visit MLB.com/diversitysummit. Please follow the MLB Diversity Business Summit on Twitter (@MLB_DBS) and Facebook (Facebook.com/DiversityBusinessSummit).