Freelance Erie Connects Experts in Weeklong Conference

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Beginning Monday, April 18

Anyone working in the modern economy knows how important it is to sharpen the tools of the trade. Freelancing can be demanding in and of itself, requiring workers to excel in several different areas in addition to their primary focus. You gotta play the game. Thankfully, it can be pretty darn fruitful when done right. 

If you're looking to improve certain aspects of your freelancing career, Radius CoWork, in conjunction with Freelance Buffalo & Beyond, is getting ready for Freelance Erie. The weeklong conference will include education sessions, workshops, panel discussions, and a host of networking opportunities. 

The week will begin at Radius, at their ninth floor location in Erie's Renaissance Building. The following days will be set at the Marquette Innovation Learning Center, Gannon's Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge (I-HACK), and the 10/20 Collective. 

This will be the fourth annual conference for Freelance Buffalo & Beyond and the first for Erie, as well as Rochester, NY.

For tickets and more information, visit freelancebuffaloandbeyond.com/erieprogram.

Freelance Erie Schedule of Events

Monday, April 18 - Radius CoWork

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Open Coworking day & Registration at Radius CoWork

1 p.m. - Proclamation from Mayor Joe Schember at Radius CoWork

6 p.m. - Kickoff Party at Room 33 Speakeasy. Appetizers provided by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central & Northern PA

Tuesday, April 19 -Marquette Innovation Learning Center 

12:00 p.m. - Registration, Networking, and Lunch. Sponsored by Red Letter Hospitality

12:30 p.m. - Commerical Insurance Basics. Michael Burkhardt, Producer at Historic Square Agency

1:45 p.m. - Legal 101 for Freelancers. Drew Whiting, Senior Counsel at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP

3:00 p.m. - Leave it to the Professionals: a Crash Course in Bookkeeping and Taxes. Amy Swartzfager, CPA, MBA, Manager at Maloney, Reed, Scarpitti & Company

Wednesday, April 20th.        

 i-HACK at Gannon University

8:30 a.m. - Registration & networking. Pastries and coffee provided.

9 a.m. - Introduction to the NWPA Beehive

10 a.m. - Breakout Session 1 

11 a.m. - Breakout Session 2 

Thursday, April 21 at The 10|20 Collective

12:30 p.m. - Registration & Networking. Tariq's Best Philly on-site for lunch

1:15 p.m. - How to Ditch the 40 Hour Work Week. Kristen Santiago, Owner of Gone Local, Small Business Consultant at Ivy + Atlas

2:30 p.m. - Self Accountability. Jenny Poff, Owner of Agency Jen

3:45 p.m. - Finding Freedom with Freelance Panel. Featuring Megan Callaghan, Owner of Method & Medium Co.; Andrew Chernauskas, Owner of Abstract Penguin; and Chris Norris, Owner of Revox Social

4:45 p.m. - Happy Hour & Gallery Preview of April Exhibits

Friday, April 22 - Closing Panel and Party

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. - Open Coworking & Networking.  Includes Rochester, Buffalo, and Erie attendees, sponsors, and speakers.

3 p.m. - The Future of Freelance: Economy & Legislation Panel. With Rafael Espinal, President of the Freelancers Union, Julie Cortes, Founder of the Kansas City Freelance Exchange, and more!

5 p.m. - Closing Party at the Innovation Center in Buffalo. Drinks, food, and live music with musician & composer, Edalo!