Substance Over Glitter: What Makes the HUBZone Conference Worth the Trip | Eric Coffie

from GovCon Unscripted · host Chelsea Roberts

In federal contracting, most conferences give you a polished keynote you could have read in a press release. Eric Coffie goes to a lot of them, and he keeps coming back to HUBZone for a different reason.On this Special Episode of GovCon Unscripted, host Chelsea Roberts continues the #RoadtoHUBZone series with Eric Coffie, founder and CEO of GovCon Giants.Eric attends a lot of federal contracting events, and his read on this one is blunt: most conferences are more glitter than substance, and HUBZone is where he actually gets the real deal. He and Chelsea talk about keeping perspective when set-aside programs come under scrutiny, why the value of a conference is in the room rather than the brochure, and the funding and scale panel he is hosting. The conversation lands on a simple message for anyone weighing the trip: come prepared, extract everything, and make the connections that carry the rest of your year.2026 National HUBZone Conference, July 21 and 22 (golf outing July 20) at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia. Timestamps00:00 Welcome and who Eric is01:00 Nothing new under the sun: perspective on program challenges03:00 Why HUBZone weathers the discourse08:00 Substance over glitter: what makes HUBZone different11:00 The exhibitors and primes in the room12:00 The Building for Scale funding panel16:00 Extract everything: prep and make the most of it18:00 Boots on the ground, fourth quarter, and connections18:30 Manufacturing and made in USA19:00 See you in Chantilly 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHyLike and follow us:🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/🔹 Join our #govcon community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/Eric Coffie's LinkedIn ProfileChelsea Robert's Linkedin Profile2026 National HUBZone Conference (register)Other resources:Eric Coffie's YouTube AccountEric Coffie's Twitter AccountGovCon Giants' WebsiteGovCon Giant's Instagram Account

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Substance Over Glitter: What Makes the HUBZone Conference Worth the Trip | Eric Coffie

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