Graffiti, break-dancing and hip-hop music are often associated with the urban lifestyle.

Today, the UW Business School will incorporate these aspects of city life with board rooms and economic development at the UW Urban Business Festival, hosted for the second year in a row by the Business and Economic Development Center (BEDC) Leadership Team.

“BEDC basically puts together student volunteer consultants teams,” said senior AJ Ghambari, BEDC Leadership Team co-president. “We work in economically stressed and emerging communities. We want to say, ‘Let’s showcase all the prosperities in inner-city individuals’ and be able to put that message out there.”

The outdoor festival will include food from Maya’s Mexican restaurant; students from other academic departments, along with community and executive members of the University, will attend.

“There will be lots of prominent businessmen and women there,” Ghambari said. “William D. Bradford, former dean of the Business School and professor of finance, will be coming. We’re giving a lot of these people a small business network with a diverse crowd of leadership.”

Interactive activities will include an outdoor barbershop, student entrepreneurs’ projects, a break-dance workshop, step shows and live graffiti art.

“In addition to indirectly fighting stereotypes and promoting diversity, we want to bring about a community forum for students to promote in their urban groups,” Ghambari said. “Rather than the conventional way of going through business school, we want more people of color to come to business school, empower yourself and take it back to the community you come from. We want to promote economic revitalization.”

The extensive preparation has incorporated a variety of organizations and departments from the campus and the local Seattle community.

“It has taken us literally months to plan and coordinate something like this, and we couldn’t have done it without the Business School’s BEDC,” said junior Tam Nguyen, BEDC Leadership Team public relations member.

Although the event is somewhat new, students like Ghambari and Nguyen hope the festival will grow and impact the community’s awareness of the economic infrastructure.

“In order to truly revitalize the economic view, there has to be a multidisciplinary approach,” Ghambardi said. “We also want to involve public policy, urban planning, social work and American ethnic studies. All of these play a role in the multidisciplinary approach.”

Ghambardi also said he hopes students will make the connection between their UW courses and the greater community.

“I hope that students can come together and see what they’re studying at UW can be applied to their community and economic development,” he said. “This event has a collaborative, holistic synergy amongst other elements within the greater community. We want this event to become a pillar in this community.”

Ngyuen agreed.

“We hope that everyone will be able to see the growth and prosperity within and around their communities,” Nguyen said. “They will have a wonderful opportunity to see this at the festival, because we will be showcasing local small businesses, community organizations and artists from around the community, also. Most importantly, we want everyone to have a great time at the festival.”

Reach reporter Vicky Yan at news@thedaily.washington.edu.