The 2012 ESSENCE® Music Festival® To Host Supplier Diversity Outreach Event

NEW YORK, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2012 ESSENCE Music Festival, along with Time Warner Supplier Diversity, and the New Orleans Multicultural Tourism Network (NOMTN), invites all minority and women-owned companies to join them for its Supplier Diversity Panel and networking event, taking place on Sunday, July 8th, from 12 P.M.-2 P.M. (CT) at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in Rooms 209-210.

ESSENCE Senior Editor, Personal Finance & Careers, Tanisha A. Sykes will moderate this educational panel discussion that will focus on the importance of supplier diversity, how to be certified as a diverse owned business, the benefits of certification as well as an overview of the organizations that support minority business development and utilization. Panelists will include: Greta Davis, Time Warner Supplier Diversity; Toni Rice, New Orleans Multi-Cultural Network (NOMCN) and more. During this event, information will be provided regarding the process for submitting proposals to blue-chip Festival partners, producers of large, international events held in New Orleans and television, movies and other local productions.  The event will also include an opportunity for audience Q&A with the panelists, followed by a networking reception. You can RSVP to the reception at [email protected]. Find out more about the Time Warner Supplier Diversity Program at www.TWSupplierDiversity.com and the NOMTN http://soulofneworleans.com/emfvendors.

Festival goers will also be able to enjoy the ESSENCE Marketplace, another of the Festival's many daytime offerings, which will showcase over 150 vendors' quality fine arts, crafts, celebrity products, clothing and jewelry by African-American vendors from all over the world. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center will also feature interactive sponsor presentations, radio broadcasts, celebrity meet-and-greets and the Food Emporium serving Creole, Cajun and traditional soul food dishes and more. The ESSENCE Music Festival Food Emporium is open daily from 9am to 6pm at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and from 6pm to 11pm at the Louisiana Superdome in the SuperLounge. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet authors and speakers at the ESSENCE Empowerment Experience and purchase their books, as well as books by other African American authors, at the 2012 ESSENCE Music Festival Book Store, partnered with The Garden District Bookshop. In addition, over 30 community outreach and non-profit organizations will be present at the ESSENCE Music Festival Community Outreach & Non-Profit areas to provide support and Festival goers with information on health, finance, social organizations, etc. For more information http://www.essence.com/festivals/2012/essence-music-festival/contact.

Now in its 18th year, the ultimate destination for entertainment and inspiration hosted over 422,000 attendees last year. What began in 1995 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of ESSENCE magazine has now grown into one of the country's "Top 10 Leading Brand Events" by Advertising Age.  The ESSENCE Music Festival is the nation's largest annual gathering of African-American music and culture.  Throughout its history, the Festival has featured an array of performers including Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Al Green, Beyonce, Chaka Khan, Destiny's Child, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight, LL Cool J, Jamie Foxx, John Legend, The Isley Brothers, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Maxwell, The O'Jays, Prince, Rihanna, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams and more.

For information about ticket sales and the latest news about the ESSENCE Music Festival, visit ESSENCE Music Festival www.essencemusicfestival.com. Join the Festival community: follow us on Twitter @essencemusic #EssenceFest and become a fan of 2012 ESSENCE Music Festival on Facebook.

ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS INC.:
Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media company dedicated to African-American women, with a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online.  The company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Music Festival, ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood and Black Women in Music, Window on Our Women and Smart Beauty consumer insights series, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For 42 years, ESSENCE, which has a brand reach of over 8 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information and specific solutions relating to every area of African-American women's lives.  Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at www.essence.com.

SOURCE The 2012 ESSENCE Music Festival