Arrival & Registration

This process takes just about 2 to 3 minutes. You’ll be given a name tag.  A name tag is an easy way to help us remember your name.

Guests and Visitors

We welcome guests from all backgrounds — sometimes from other US states, and other times, from outside the US.

Participants

Participants come from all walks of life, but predominantly those with an interest in the African continent. This includes students, professors, business and community leaders, and politicians.

Seating & Table Arrangements

When you arrive, you’ll be warmly greeted by one of our team members, who will show you where to pick a seat. Seats are arranged according to table topics. If you signed up to sit at a particular table, that is where you’ll be placed. Otherwise, you can pick a topic and seat based on your interests or concerns.

The Atmosphere /Before the Program

To kick things off, the atmosphere is festive and filled with live music or drumming. An assortment of drinks is available, including water and light beverages

African Food/Cuisine

Food is served right around 6 PM. We make an effort to stay on time, as the evening is packed with timely discussions and conversation.  

The food served is a continental African dinner/buffet. This may include a mix of food from Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, or Cameroon. For some years, it’s been food from just one African country, and other years, we used catering services from two or three countries.

Coffee, beverages, snacks, and other drinks are served throughout the evening to keep participants energized and engaged.

The Keynote Speaker & Other Special Guests

The keynote address sets the stage for the rest of the event. This serves to motivate or inspire on the evening’s theme.

Before a keynote address from our selected speaker, the leaders and team from Africa Agenda may give remarks, comments to welcome guests, and provide directions about the evening. This may last just a few short minutes.

Table Conversations

Table conversations are the mainstay of the summit. This takes about an hour and 30 minutes.

Everyone is assigned a table. You may stay at the same table throughout the evening. If and when we choose to rotate tables, you may be assigned to a secondary table to share ideas and perspectives with other guests and participants.

Open Forum/Before Close

Table leaders and note takers, or anyone, may share their thoughts and takeaways after table conversations wrap up.

Table Notes

Notes, collected from the tables, are turned over to the Africa agenda team to use for report preparation. These yearly reports are shared with the public and posted on the Africa Agenda website

Live Music/Networking Hours

Live music returns after the close and continues until everyone goes home. All are encouraged to stay and network. That’s how we build community.

Since 2014, the Summit has served more than 1000 people.