RISE Announces Dates For 2011 5th Anniversary Week Series: March 7 - 11, Austin, Texas

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- RISE Week returns to Austin, Texas from March 7 to March 11, 2011 announced conference organizers today.  A kickoff celebration previewing RISE Week will take place Thursday, December 16, 6pm to 9pm at Molotov, 719 W 6th St.

The country's fastest-growing conference for entrepreneurs, RISE Week welcomes its fifth year as the cornerstone of a broader RISE Global organization. RISE Global will offer more programming and content throughout the year to more participants in more places – small-group sessions, expanded educational programming for entrepreneurs of all ages and stages, and entrepreneur affinity groups – via its revamped website and new membership program.

"RISE has always been a unique forum where participants can interact with entrepreneurs from diverse industries and backgrounds and form lasting professional connections," said Georgia Thomsen, RISE Global Executive Director. "Now, we're taking that experience online to make it available all the time, everywhere."

A friendly, accessible online destination for entrepreneurs everywhere throughout the year, the revamped RISE Global website will feature interactive and exclusive content, including private virtual sessions led by entrepreneurs around the world; an online community forum where entrepreneurs can exchange ideas and information; and access to video recordings of RISE Week sessions led by top entrepreneurs.

Year-round content and programming via the RISE Global website will be available to RISE members through the new membership program offering 4 membership levels. Additional benefits range from access to the RISE Global job board, listing in the RISE Global membership directory and discounts from RISE partners to pre-registration for RISE Week and invitations to exclusive member networking events, happy hours and sessions.

Roy Sosa and Bertrand Sosa, brothers and accomplished Austin entrepreneurs, created RISE Week in 2007. Thanks to its unique format featuring small, peer-led sessions, RISE Week has grown from 40 sessions filling 500 seats to 200 sessions and events filling 2,800 seats, including more than 2,500 unique attendees, in 2010. RISE is a program of the MPOWER Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.

For more information, visit www.riseglobal.org, stop by the RISE Blog or follow RISE on Facebook and Twitter.

About RISE Global

RISE, a Relationship and Information Series for Entrepreneurs, is a non-profit program dedicated to inspiring and empowering entrepreneurs. Created originally in 2007 as a week-long, free "un-conference" for and by entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas, RISE has grown into an ongoing year-round program that leverages its proprietary web interface to provide one-of-a-kind resources and experiences to entrepreneurs worldwide. RISE is a program of the MPOWER Foundation, an operating philanthropic foundation affiliated with MPOWER Ventures and MPOWER Labs.

About RISE Week

The country's fastest growing entrepreneurship event, RISE Week is an annual conference series that provides a forum for entrepreneurs to connect and exchange ideas that inspire the entrepreneurial spirit. Each year, thousands of entrepreneurs gather to participate in hundreds of sessions hosted by successful business leaders throughout the Greater Austin area. Unlike a traditional conference, RISE is a non-profit event with no cost to participate, and sessions are independently organized, peer-led and limited to 25 participants. For more information, to register or to volunteer to host a session, or to learn how to host RISE Week in your city, visit www.riseglobal.org.

SOURCE RISE Global