The D.C. Equality Chamber of Commerce will host its Pride in Business Expo on Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ Affairs in Northeast Washington.
The expo, which runs from 4 to 7 p.m. at 899 N. Capitol St. NE, brings together LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, business leaders and community partners to showcase businesses, share resources and build connections, the Washington Blade reported.
Programming begins at 2:30 p.m. with an event called Profits & Pours before the expo opens. The Chamber frames the event around building businesses and a stronger LGBTQ+ business community.
The expo is a returning event. The Chamber held a Pride in Business Expo in October 2025, according to the organization's LinkedIn page. The Chamber's website calls it the DMV's largest LGBTQ+ networking and trade show.
Edmund Morris, president of the D.C. Equality Chamber of Commerce, has said the organization represents more than 100 LGBTQ+ and allied businesses in the D.C. metro area. In an August statement to the Blade about the mayoral race, Morris said the Chamber looks forward to engaging the incoming administration on how best to support entrepreneurs in the city.
The D.C. Council's fiscal year 2027 budget, approved July 14, includes a measure calling for the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ Affairs to issue a $980,000 grant to a private nonprofit serving the LGBTQ community. The D.C. LGBTQ Budget Coalition called the provision a historic measure establishing the District's most sustainable model for investing in LGBTQ communities.
Japer Bowles directs the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ Affairs, which is hosting the expo at its North Capitol Street offices.
Upcoming events
- Thursday, Oct. 8: Chamber Connect networking event, 6:30–8:30 p.m. at Lauren Barkume Photography
- Thursday, Oct. 15: Pride in Business Expo and Profits & Pours, 2:30–7 p.m. at the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ Affairs, 899 N. Capitol St. NE
