Journey with us to "The Buckeye State" - IEDC's 2016 Annual Conference is in Cleveland, Ohio!

Here are 10 reasons why you must register for Annual Conference today:


1. The program for this year is outstanding - plenary and concurrent session topics are shaping up.


2. What better way to be welcomed to Ohio - meet and hear Senator Sherrod Brown.

The Honorable Sherrod Brown
United States Senator for Ohio
Washington, DC

Described as "Congress' leading proponent of American manufacturing," Brown is working with the Obama Administration on the creation of a national manufacturing policy that would invest in manufacturing innovation, strengthen our component supply chain, connect workers with emerging industries, and align our trade policies to promote our national interests.

He is also working with Ohio's universities, entrepreneurs, and community stakeholders to use Ohio's resources to create new jobs in high-growth industries and make Ohio a national leader in clean energy manufacturing. And as a long-time advocate for fair trade, Senator Brown has stood up to presidents of both parties on shortsighted trade agreements that ship U.S. jobs overseas. He led the bipartisan opposition to NAFTA in 1993 - as a freshman in the U.S. House of Representatives - and to CAFTA in 2005. Sen. Brown is working on trade policies that promote our workers, small businesses, and manufacturers while creating jobs and expanding markets through an aggressive export promotion strategy.

Senator Brown is among many influential plenary keynote speakers including:

The Honorable Clarence Anthony
Executive Director
National League of Cities
Washington, DC

Clarence Anthony served as the Mayor of South Bay, FL for 24 years. He is known as a creative and thoughtful leader in his community. He is considered an expert in citizen engagement and techniques that build a "sense of community" within cities. Mr. Anthony has been on the forefront of politics in the United States and internationally for the past 20 years, culminating with productive presidencies of the Florida League of Cities and the National League of Cities (NLC), respectively.


The Honorable Frank Jackson
Mayor
City of Cleveland
Cleveland, OH

Cleveland's 56th Mayor, Frank G. Jackson, took office January 2, 2006. He has since been re-elected twice - in 2009 and 2013.

As Mayor, Jackson is focused on ensuring that the City offers an excellent quality of life for every resident, business and visitor; and, is addressing every aspect of operations and policy to guarantee that he reaches that goal. He is committed to providing exceptional, quality service and has led positive change throughout his tenure as mayor, particularly in the areas of Public Safety, City Finances and Operations, Education, Sustainability and Development.

See full bios for speakers on the conference site.


3. You'll get to meet and speak with some of the nation's well known site selectors, including:

Christine Bustamante Principal KPMG LLP Columbus, OH	Michelle Comerford Project Director/Industrial & Supply Chain Practice Leader Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co. Cleveland, OH
Gene DePrez Founder & Managing Partner Global Innovation Partners, Ltd. Sparta, NJ and Sheffield, UK	Jay A. Garner, CEcD, CCE, FM, HLM President Garner Economics, LLC Atlanta, GA

4. And these concurrent session speakers are sure to enlighten you:

Teresa Metcalf Beasley Partner Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP Cleveland, OH	Ralph Chow Regional Director, Americas Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) New York, NY
Kara L. Wood, CEcD, EDFP Economic Development Director City of Grand Rapids Grand Rapids, MI	Tony Aggarwal Founder Kinetic Cubed Ltd Spinningfields, Manchester, United Kingdom

5. Session topics reflect the latest trends in economic development - you're sure to gain tips that will have instant application to your most pressing community challenges. Some concurrent session topics you'll sit in on are:

- A Decade of Finance Transformation
- Federal Laboratories: Partners for Economic Development
- Boom - Bust - Boom: Springboard Opportunities through Adversity
- Operation Diversify: Preparing for a Reduction in Defense Spending
- And pick the town hall meeting which fits your community's population size!

Take part in one of four town hall discussions, and be sure to attend the town hall on higher education


6. Tours, tours and more tours - Six to be precise. IEDC includes educational tours for our conferences to give you that up close and personal experience with each jurisdiction. These tours provide texture to the content you cover during event sessions. Pick one or more:

Sunday, September 25
- University Circle - Uptown - Little Italy
- Health Tech Corridor & Regional Transit Authority

Monday, September 26
- The Cleveland Clinic
- Cuyahoga River, including the Flats East Bank Development & Cuyahoga County Port Authority (by boat)

Tuesday, September 27
- Ninth and Euclid Project
- Playhouse Square

See tour descriptions and prices.

And there are four more reasons why you simply must join us in Cleveland!


7. IEDC's 90th Celebration activities are gearing up, including exciting exhibitor hall activities. You'll get to know our sponsors, and exhibitors. And consider sponsoring Annual Conference. Contact our Sponsorship Development Associate, Kate Granat today. She'll get you started. 202.942.9469; kgranat@iedconline.org.


8. The headquarters hotel room block rate is still available. Don't wait too long! Click on the below "Book Your Room" button to go to the hotel reservations page.

Westin Cleveland Downtown
777 Saint Clair Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114
Phone: (888) 627-8085
IEDC Room Rate: $199 single/double
Group Rate Cutoff: Wednesday, August 31, 2016

» Reserve your room online


9. Cleveland is absolutely amazing. There's so much to do in the city before and after the conference.


10. You must take advantage of the early bird registration rate before it ends. Check out the savings you'll experience if you act now!

Registering by July 15th saves you $120 off the regular registration rate. You be so glad you took the time to register today. That will give you more time to plan for how you'll spend each day during the event.

Your Annual Conference checklist:

□ View the Program At-a-Glance online - Below are a few of the many highlights you'll see on the website.
□ Register - the process is very simple!
□ Book your room - the Annual Conference room block won't last very long - don't delay.


Here's a bonus: This Neighborhood Development Strategies pre-Annual Conference professional development course can move you closer to sitting for your CEcD exam.

Neighborhood Development Strategies
Date: September 22 - 23, 2016
Location: Cleveland, OH

» Agenda
» Instructors
» Certification
» Accommodations/Training Location
» Registration

Check out this practitioner-driven course which uses the case study method to complement current neighborhood development theory!

Participants of this Neighborhood Development Strategies Annual Conference pre-course will learn how to identify the major neighborhood actors, their objectives, and strategies for redevelopment. Also covered in this course includes the process for creating a strategic economic development plan to meet neighborhood development goals. Specifically, this course will examine social capital (e.g., linkages, networks, talent, etc.), environmental capital (e.g., stewardship, residual management, etc.) and economic capital (e.g., investment and reinvestment) facing distressed neighborhoods and offer solutions to address local needs.

Register for IEDC's 2016 Annual Conference, and this course, too. You can do everything at www.iedconline.org/annualconference.

Course Highlights:

- Asset creation, wealth creation, and enterprise development & expansion
- Housing development, real estate speculation, and tax-base stabilization
- Public and private sector role in combating inner city unemployment
- Examining historical and current neighborhood trends
- Performing leakage assessments and gap analyses
- Aligning strategic plans for multiple neighborhood groups
- Understanding the underserved needs for banking and grocery
- Working with media to share success stories

Instructors:

		Mark Barbash, FM Consultant Mark Barbash Economic Development Consulting
		Terri Reed Cutright President Terri Reed Cutright & Associates LLC
		Diane Lupke, CEcD, FM President Lupke & Associates, Inc.

	This course meets the professional development requirements for the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) exam. CEcDs earn recertification credits for participation.
	This course has been approved by the American Planning Association (APA) for certification maintenance credits.

This pre-conference IEDC training course will take place at the Westin Cleveland Downtown. View accommodations information.

Annual Conference - The program, the speakers, the journey. Get ready to rock with us in Cleveland. Register now.

Need help registering, or have questions about Annual Conference? Call us. 202.223.7800.

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 4,700 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities by creating, retaining and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base. From public to private, rural to urban and local to international, IEDC's members are engaged in the full range of economic development experience. Given the breadth of economic development work, our members are employed in a wide variety of settings including local, state, provincial and federal governments, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce, universities and a variety of other institutions. When we succeed, our members create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities, and improve the quality of life in their regions.

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