[nfbmi-talk] BLAST +:

[Larry Posont]

    This is going to be a great conference for blind vendors and entrepreneurs. We are working on getting a group from Michigan to 
attend.





BLAST +:
The National Association of Blind Merchants (NABM) announces a new partnership with the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan 
Institute that will blast beyond the confines of the Randolph Sheppard Program. In collaboration with Tennessee Services for the 
Blind, NABM's BLAST + will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, from Wednesday, September 21, through Saturday morning, September 24, 
2011. Over the past decade Business Leadership and Superior Training (BLAST), has become the most authoritative and innovative 
conference for blind entrepreneurs.  BLAST + will be the most significant conference ever held to encourage, inform, and inspire the 
blind and vision-impaired embarking on or currently engaged in building profitable small businesses. BLAST has always had training 
elements easy to apply to any business venture. BLAST + expands that curriculum to include even more education and networking 
targeted to blind people seeking employment through entrepreneurship outside of or in addition to the traditional Randolph Sheppard 
Vending Program model.

Nicky Gacos, NABM president, said, "As successful as BLAST has been over the past decade, it is time to reach out to everyone 
interested in creating quality job opportunities through entrepreneurship. A partnership with the NFB Jernigan Institute just made 
sense for this expansion. If the backbone of our economy is small business, the blind must be a part of it."

Announcing this collaboration with the nation's leading association of blind business owner advocates, Mark Riccobono, executive 
director of the NFB Jernigan Institute, said, "The National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute leads the quest to understand 
the real problems of blindness and to develop innovative education to help the world's blind achieve independence. A central concern 
of the Institute is increasing employment opportunities for the blind.  This collaboration with NABM and other partners will improve 
the prospects for many blind people who want to be self-employed."

In addition to the program items BLAST participants have come to expect, BLAST + will add a number of training sessions, symposia, 
and a luncheon which will focus on government contracting, business ethics, team building, network marketing opportunities, the 
access technology industry, free or low-cost resources, franchises, business loans, and business and financial planning. For years 
BLAST has had a robust trade show, featuring access technology, vending, and food service suppliers. Now it will be adding agencies, 
companies, and organizations which cater to different segments of small business operations.

Rooms can be booked now. Simply write or call the Nashville Airport Marriott, 600 Marriott Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37214; (615) 
889-9300. Tell them that you are booking for the National Association of Blind Merchants BLAST +. Rooms are available at the 
unbelievably low rate of $113 per night plus applicable taxes. These rates are effective from Monday, September 19, through 
Saturday, September 24, 2011. Music City is beautiful in the fall, and as always, space is at a premium. Act quickly to enjoy the 
party and promise of BLAST +.  The entire conference will be an event from which everyone involved in blind entrepreneurship will 
benefit. BLAST + registration, which includes all activities and training materials, will cost $200 with a $50 discount for 
registrations made before August 15, 2011. The registration fee may exclude some tours and events held outside the hotel conference 
center. Please register at <www.blindmerchants.org> or by calling (866) 543-6808, ext. 10.




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