Pensacola’s business future is looking bright.

Randy Hammer recently detailed how Asheville, N. C., which after years of decline was recently named the 12^th best place in the nation for business and careers by Forbes, has served as the model for the continuing revitalization of downtown Pensacola.

This weekend, teams will compete in the annual Startup Weekend at the University of West Florida, taking an idea from pitch to a product that will be reviewed by business experts in three days.

On Oct. 22-23, the ITEN Wired Summit returns to Pensacola Beach. Presented by IT Gulf Coast and Florida West Economic Development Alliance, the summit provides “networking and learning opportunities for executives, entrepreneurs, technology professionals and academia to foster local economic development efforts surrounding innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.”

And, as I’ve been telling you for the last few months, Nov. 5-6, 2015, the Studer Community Institute and the UWF Center for Entrepreneurship will present EntreCon.

I’m hearing that many in the community are excited for the event. I even received an e-mail earlier this week from a group in Tallahassee who are carpooling in for the conference.

But I’ve also found that many still have questions, so in this update, I want to explain the event in more detail – its content, its value and its ultimate goal.

What is EntreCon?

At face value, EntreCon is a two day business conference that will cover the entire lifecycle of the entrepreneur, from the startup to growth and even what to do when your ready to exit your business.

But EntreCon is much more than that.

I’ve shared with you in previous columns that one of the things EntreCon is particularly focused on is stories. And we have some amazing people coming in to tell them.

I’ve blogged before about Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts, who’ve taken a family Christmas tradition called The Elf on the Shelf® and turned it into an international business success.

We’ve talked about the conference bringing in heavyweights from Inc. magazine and Inc.com. Unfortunately, due to a schedule conflict, Eric Schurenberg can’t join us, but taking his place is James Ledbetter, who is the editor of both Inc. magazine and Inc.com.

Ledbetter is a journalist with his finger on the pulse of business and a writer whose work has appeared in he New York Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, The Nation, The American Prospect, The New Republic, Mother Jones, VIBE, and dozens of other publications. He was also the founder and editor of Slate.com’s Big Money finance section and served as the Opinions Editor at Reuters. At EntreCon, he will be speaking on something that every entrepreneur can learn from – “What are the Secrets of Today’s Successful Companies?”

Another speaker at the event should be familiar to attendees – Quint Studer. I am guessing many people have seen his dynamic presentations, but at EntreCon, he’ll be doing something different. He’ll be telling his story. Studer will talk about his entrepreneurial journey from four employees to one of the most successful and respected health care organizations in the world, as well as the revitalization of Pensacola and giving back to the community.

There are a host of speakers and panelists coming to EntreCon – all experts not only in their businesses, but also in creating success. You can see them all here.

Why $249? And our guarantee.

Some of the folks I’ve talked with have initially been put off by the price and I understand that. This is a new type of event for Pensacola – it’s never been tried before, but give me a moment to explain what that $249 gets you and then reconsider.

At EntreCon, attendees will have many opportunities to unlock the secrets to success, including:

• Participate in a two-day conference that facilitates connecting, creating, learning and sharing at all stages of business, from startups to growing businesses to seasoned professionals.

• Find the ways to expand your company in the midst of economic challenges.

• Have your most-pressing business challenges, concerns, and questions discussed in an open forum.

• Hear from seasoned business owners, entrepreneurs, and experts during informative panel discussions.

• Surround yourself with and meet like-minded individuals.

• Create and foster accountability networks.

• Hear what keys habits seasoned business owners, entrepreneurs, and experts employ to improve business performance.

In the long run, a $249 investment in your future success seems well worth the price.

If you went to another city for a conference, which include travel expenses, food, hotel, etc., you would already be over the $249 price tag.

And how much do those conferences of similar quality cost?

The Inc. Conference happening in Orlando later this month costs $1695.

Registration for the Venture Atlanta Conference, which is also held later this month, starts at $550.

EntreCon is a great value. I feel confident you will think so as well.

In fact, if you don’t leave EntreCon feeling like you’ve gained knowledge that will help your business, we will refund your registration.

So, join us Nov. 5-6 at the Rex in downtown Pensacola.

You won’t regret it.