22nd Annual Harvard Entrepreneurs Conference Teaches Community How to Start and Grow Business; May 8 Event at Anaheim Marriott to Feature Kinko's Founder Paul Orfalea.

IRVINE, Calif. -- Local business leaders and volunteer alumni from the Harvard Business School Association of Orange County (HBSAOC) will present the 22nd annual Entrepreneurs Conference on May 8th, an open-to-the-public conference designed as a networking and learning event for existing and aspiring entrepreneurs. The largest of its kind in Southern California, the one-day event at the Marriot in Anaheim (http://www.hbsaoc.org/conference) is expected to draw over 500 attendees from throughout Southern California. HBSAOC presents the conference as a community service event which attracts distinguished keynote speakers like this year's Paul Orfalea, founder and Chairperson emeritus of Kinko's. Its funding surplus supports scholarships to deserving students of business at local community colleges.

The Conference is noted for featuring face-to-face interaction with senior executives and successful entrepreneurs. "Over the last 22 years, this event has become a `must attend' opportunity to expand skills, make valuable contacts, and gather practical ideas for growing your business," says conference chairman Jon Howell. What began as an informal dialogue among local Harvard MBA alumni now attracts aspiring entrepreneurs, business owners, CEOs, venture capitalists, and angel investors from all of Southern California.

Attendees can learn new approaches to starting, funding, and building a company; share perspectives with other entrepreneurs; and enjoy a full day of valuable "take home" advice from over 60 knowledgeable speakers addressing a wide range of topics in 26 panel sessions. Program panels this year include live presentations to venture capitalists and angel investors and how to write a winning business plan, plus expert sessions on how to raise money, team building, buying and selling a business, guerilla marketing, building sales in a new company, the latest technologies that entrepreneurs must be aware of, and much more.

The event is followed by a catered reception and "fast pitch" competition presented by the Tech Coast Angels, the largest angel group in the United States. The Angels critique the 60-second presentations and select a winner who will earn a meeting with a VC firm in Orange County. This follow-on event is separate from the Entrepreneurs Conference; however, attendees may register for both events at the same time and pay a discounted price of $199.

Organizers of EC 2006 stress that anyone interested in entrepreneurship is welcome to attend, especially those who are thinking about starting a business, or who are actively trying to finance, improve, expand, or sell an existing enterprise. Early bird conference registration at $159 per person ($199 after April 30) includes a day jam-packed with a continental breakfast, mid-morning and afternoon refreshments, keynote luncheon, a closing reception, and a conference binder with biographies of all speakers and panelists and business resources. Advance registration is recommended online at http://www.hbsaoc.org/conference. Media inquiries contact Bill Schlueter at LaunchPad PR 310 397-4321 [e-mail].