Weekend conference in April geared toward Manatee Millennials

MANATEE -- A three-day conference for millennials is coming to Manatee County this April.

The conference, which is called #4Progress -- Millennial Conference, will take place April 1-3. Manatee County government's millennial employees, called Manatee Millennial Movement, are organizing the event, which will "focus on topics important to local millennials such as housing, networking, financial stability, entrepreneurship and how

to take ownership in your community," according to a news release.

"We want to develop our county's future leaders and have them take ownership in their community," Ogden Clark, one of the event's organizers, said in the release. "The resounding message from M3 in the past year has been, 'Stop taking about us and start talking to us.'"

Millennial Con is a follow-up to the county's #iSeeManatee event, which was held last year and brought Manatee residents out to talk about what they would like to see the county look like in the future.

Registration for #4Progress is $30 per person through Feb. 29, $35 from March 1-19 and $40 from March 20-31. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com/e/4progress-millennial-con-tickets-18795418603.

"Young professionals want to shape their communities, but rarely have the venue to do so," said Anisley Mena, event co-organizer. "MCon will provide not only professional development, but the opportunity to be civically engaged with local leaders and decision makers."

The weekend kicks off with a Cosmic Shuffleboard with Realize Bradenton event from 6-9 p.m. Friday, April 1. The event, which is part of the Pop-Ups for a Purpose series, will feature food, music, dancing, drinks, shuffleboard lessons and an outdoor lounge. The event will be at the Bradenton Shuffleboard Courts, 1525 Ballard Park Dr.

On April 2, the weekend will continue at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, One Haben Blvd., Palmetto. During the event, there be action labs and Ted-styled talks geared to young professionals.

The conference will conclude with Yoga & Mimosas on April 3 at Manatee Public Beach.

For information, visit mymanatee.org/m3.

Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter @Claire_Aronson.

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 11:29 PM with the headline "Weekend conference in April geared toward Manatee Millennials ."