October 6, 2010 — Phoenix , Ariz.

The fifth annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference (AZEC10) , “The Great Reset: Opportunities for Change and Innovation.” takes place on Wednesday, November 17. This year’s conference will be held at the Desert Willow Conference Center from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

“The annual event is a way to provide effective collaboration among all the different groups and market sectors in the Arizona business community,” says Francine Hardaway, conference founder and an entrepreneurial catalyst in the Arizona community. “Our goal is to create a ‘sense of place’ to support the local entrepreneurs and to encourage new ones to start and grow their ventures here.”

This year’s event format encourages more networking among attendees and features both local success stories and expert resources on everything from launching companies and creating small business marketing programs to navigating successful exits.

Keynote speakers include Dave McClure, Silicon Valley VC and luminary, Brian Solis, social media thought leader and author of “Engage.” Kathy Kolbe, Chairman of the Board and Chief Creative Officer of Kolbe Corp, Sharon Lechter, co-founder of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and now founder of Pay Your Family First, and top tier web strategist Jeremiah Owyang partner in Altimeter Group.

A special panel on “Change and Your Funding Strategy” will feature local leaders sharing their insights on what it takes to get funded in Arizona. There will also be a showcase exhibit section of Arizona companies and organizations who provide services to support the entrepreneurship community.

Local “champion of social goodness” company Shwaag.com was officially introduced at AZEC09, and company Founder and CEO Eric Keosky-Smith will be back this year to present an update on and overview of what he has learned in the process, with advice for entrepreneurs on today’s pitfalls and opportunities: “The explosion of insight and ideas that came out  of AZEC08, the launch of those ideas at AZEC09, and the ongoing evolution of our company and many others directly tied to this conference make it hands down the best one-day investment , period, whether you’re an entrepreneur, a business unit manager, or an investor.”

Proceeds from AZEC10 are used to provide training and support to help at risk youth and adults through the Opportunity through Entrepreneurship Foundation (OTEF), which is designed to help improve lives by creating and growing entrepreneurial ventures.

For more information and to register for AZEC10, visit www.azentrepreneurship.com. Special discount rates are available for students. General attendees can save $25 by taking advantage of the earl bird registration offer by registering before October 16, 2010.