Invest Fest coming to Atlanta for sixth year in a row, but that soon may change
For the last five years, Invest Fest has brought tens of thousands of people and high-profile names to Atlanta for its mix of entrepreneurial education and financial literacy.
It will return to the city Aug. 7-9. But its future in Atlanta beyond that is now uncertain.
Invest Fest is the marquee event of Earn Your Leisure, a popular financial education platform with podcasts, online courses, events and a curriculum for schools. About 20,000 to 25,000 people attend each day of the three-day event at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Speaking on the Breakfast Club last week, a nationally syndicated radio show based out of New York, EYL co-founders Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings said they were open to moving Invest Fest out of Atlanta when asked if they would take it to another city.
“Its home has been Atlanta for obviously for six years. We flirted with the idea just because, you know, the lack of support that we’ve gotten from the city of Atlanta has been something that has been puzzling,” Millings said.
Atlanta officials are no strangers to Invest Fest.
In 2022, Dickens spoke at Invest Fest. In 2024, he held a news conference at City Hall with Millings, Bilal and others to announce the dates of that year’s event.
Bilal said after Dickens came to Invest Fest in 2022, the mayor and his teams offered to support the event, but talks stalled. That background is what prompted Bilal and Millings to air their frustrations when asked about staying in Atlanta.
“We were under the impression that we were going to do work with the mayor’s office because, you know, we met with them and they were enthusiastic,” Bilal told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“We set up a lot of calls, but nothing came from it. So, you know, it was a few years in the making. I think that that’s what kind of led to some level of frustration because it’s not like we’re just expecting somebody to do something for us. But it’s a little different when … it’s communicated that, you know, we’re going to help and this is going to be a top priority, and then that leads to nothing,” he said.
However, Michael Smith, deputy chief communications officer for Mayor Dickens, said the administration “did not proactively reach out.”
“Atlanta is a top destination for conventions and tourism, and we have a long track record of supporting people and organizations who support Atlanta,” Smith said.
Bilal said Invest Fest would welcome help with anything — putting on community events, marketing and promotion, getting connected to corporate sponsors or financial support from the city.
Over the weekend, Dickens alluded to the Breakfast Club appearance during impassioned remarks at a benefit dinner, according to a video posted on social media.
“Somebody said something on the radio in New York about Atlanta,” Dickens said Saturday at Hank Stewart’s 25th Annual White Linen Affair, an event that benefits the nonprofit Stewart Foundation.
“Somebody was talking about support, talking about this and that. You know, people talk a lot,” he said.
Dickens then hailed the work of Stewart’s nonprofit and said the city was giving it $50,000.
“The city of Atlanta, we will always look out for ours. This is 25 years. Somebody that did something (for) five years, thank you, but 25 years!” he said as the audience cheered.
“If you support this city, we support you back!” he said. “So put that on your podcast!”
William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in a statement to the AJC the city hosts more than 700 meetings and conventions annually.
“Unfortunately, we are not in a position to provide financial support for every meeting,” Pate said.
Millings, Bilal and their co-founders started Invest Fest because they felt the Black business community was missing a dedicated festival.
Though Bilal and Millings are based in New York, they decided to hold the conference in Atlanta because of the city’s stature as a place for Black businesses and because a large portion of EYL’s fan base was in the city. A little more than half of Invest Fest’s attendees are from metro Atlanta, Millings told the AJC.
Invest Fest will be held this year at the Georgia World Congress Center. Serena Williams, Steve Harvey and Nick Cannon are some of the headline speakers. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms and Atlanta music icons Jermaine Dupri and TI will be honored at a black-tie gala.
There is also a marketplace where 400 small business vendors can sell their wares, a space for local food trucks, a startup pitch competition and other events.
For the first time, Invest Fest will also have a day for young entrepreneurs the day before the conference officially kicks off. Millings and Bilal said they are working with Fulton County to bring local students to the event and they are flying down more than 150 students from New York to attend.
After appearing on the Breakfast Club, Bilal said the mayor’s chief of staff reached out to them and communication restarted.
As of now, there are no specific plans to move Invest Fest out of Atlanta. But its future in the city will depend on whether logistics like venue and hotel availability line up, according to Bilal.
“It’s not like we’re actively looking to have it at a different place,” Bilal said, “but we also were never opposed to having it in a different place either.”