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More than 1,500 expected to attend IEDC's 2016 Annual Conference next month.



What better place to match the theme of IEDC's 2016 Annual Conference - Economic development through technology, innovation and productivity than in the City of Cleveland? Cleveland's motto is Progress and Prosperity. The city has come a long way in the last decade by following that motto in its development efforts, and you'll see many examples while there.

"IEDC's 2016 Annual Conference will be one of the largest attended in history." - Barry Matherly, CEcD, FM, President & CEO, Greater Richmond Partnership and IEDC 2016 Board Chair

Get in on the action, register now!



Content area spotlight - Reinvesting in Your Physical, Social and Economic Assets

As the world economy turns and markets fluctuate, new demands arise for communities to redevelop their existing infrastructure. Existing assets that become obsolete with the changing market demands need to be either repurposed or replaced; including the repurposing of obsolete office buildings, neighborhood reinvestment and the transformation of the education systems. Sessions in this track will focus on the tools and resources communities can use to reinvest in their existing assets in order to position them well for future economic development.

- Leveraging a Dollar: Crowdfunding in Economic Development - Monday
- Grey Be Gone: Giving Greyfields a New Life - Monday
- Learning Lab: Creating Value through the Effective Use of Land Banks - Monday
- Reinvesting and Repurposing Space for Retail Uses - Tuesday
- Unlocking the Hidden Talent Pool: The Incumbent Employee Population - Tuesday
- Why Transportation and Logistics? - Wednesday

See the full list of Annual Conference programming.


Concurrent Session Spotlight

Mastering a Music City for Economic Development
Tuesday, Sept. 27 | 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

What defines a Music City? Having a group of talented musicians is an obvious starting point, but beyond the musicians, there is a vast network of music entrepreneurs, performance venues, and managers, agents and others on the business side. The session will provide an in-depth look at how EDOs have worked in collaboration with the music industry to change the way communities support its development.

What you'll learn:

- How a creative city can become a music city by supporting the necessary infrastructure of the music economy
- Identifying key components of successful music cities
- How the relationship between public and private sector shapes support for the industry

Moderator:

Kevin Johns, AICP
Director
City of Austin - Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office
Austin, TX

Speakers:

Kate Becker
Director
Office of Film + Music
Seattle, WA

Amy Terrill
Executive Vice President
Music Canada
Toronto, Ontario, CA


Educational Tour Spotlight

The Health Tech Corridor & Regional Transit Authority
Sunday, Sept. 25 | 2:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Price: $55

Situated in the heart of Cleveland, a leading biomedical, healthcare and technology region, the Health Tech Corridor (HTC) provides access to everything a business needs to grow and succeed. 1) Quick access to clinicians, researchers, and state-of-the-art lab infrastructure inside world-class institutions. 2) $398 million in venture capital raised in 2014 for biomedical companies– two times the amount raised in 2013. 3) Vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem with a range of organizations dedicated to helping you access resources to grow a company. 4) 30-60% lower cost of Living than Boston, Silicon Valley, and NYC. 5) A strong track record of lucrative exits, with four startups acquired by publicly traded companies in the last six months. All of this development is accentuated by the addition of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA)'s Health Line.


Special Events Spotlight

Chutes and Ladders: The New Rules of the Game for Upskilling Workers
Sunday, Sept. 25 | 11:30 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.

In the past, a college degree was the path to stability. But today, traditional models of education can't keep up. Not only are new graduates unable to find work in their fields, they are also saddled with debt for degrees that don't meet the skill requirements of new jobs. Those already in the workforce feel pressure from these new trends and are seeking ways to keep up.

The economic recovery has delivered some jarring results:

- The skills gap is increasing
- Technology is replacing workers and putting a downward pressure on wages
- Job security is low

The Working-Learning Model provides a framework to build a culture of upskilling. Economic developers already support this culture - from hosting programs such as career fairs to provide general knowledge, to administering apprenticeship programs. These activities fit into a continuum that builds on each step to ensure a ladder for workers to ascend to the next step of their career - and for companies to find the talent they need.

Join us on Sunday, September 25 for lunch and an interactive learning session on how supporting upskilling and alternative education in your community can help solve your workforce problems.


IEDC Pre-conference Boot Camp
Sunday, September 25 | 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Price: Free, but registration is required

Start off your IEDC conference right, with a free boot camp provided by the personal trainers of locally based EFS Personal Training right outside of the Cleveland Convention Center. Take in the incredible vistas of Downtown Cleveland and Lake Erie, while being lead in group exercises with fellow IEDC attendees designed to energize and prepare you for the conference's activities and events. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend, multiple personal trainers will be in attendance providing activities for all levels of fitness to accommodate all attendees. City of Cleveland will provide local fresh tap water to refresh!


Learning labs spotlight

Building a Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Tuesday, Sept. 27 | 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.

Regionalism in economic development is a hot topic, and it is just as important when it comes to building entrepreneurial ecosystems. Communities are leveraging all the assets at their disposal, locally and regionally, to grow and retain entrepreneurs. Regional partnerships between government, nonprofits and private business are betting on the success of today's entrepreneurs to become tomorrow's employers. Learn what your region can do to collaborate and take entrepreneurship and innovation to the next level.

What you'll learn:

- How to manage regional cooperation within a metro area
- Building long-term sustainability that includes private-sector participation
- How to encourage service providers to focus on their core competencies for the benefit of the community

Moderator:

Dyan Brasington, CEcD, FM, HLM
Executive Vice President, Economic Development
The Beacon Council
Miami, FL

Speakers:

Mike Morin
CEO
Start Garden
Grand Rapids, MI

Jennifer Owens, CEcD
President
Lakeshore Advantage
Zeeland, MI

Kara Wood, CEcD, EDFP
Economic Development Director
City of Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, MI


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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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