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www.iedconline.org/AnnualConference
Link:  Visit the Annual Conference website
Link:  Register for the Annual Conference


In the economic development profession, or any profession, you are connecting and networking with new colleagues daily. When it comes to solidifying these connections, how do you follow-up and follow-through? Follow-up is a communication-based way of building trust with the people you network with, while follow-through is an action-based method of building trust. Follow-through continues until an action or task is complete.

At IEDC's 2016 Annual Conference, take advantage of the dozens of networking opportunities we're offering to enhance your skills in following-up and following-through with new connections.

Get in on the action, register now!



Spend time with IEDC's President & CEO, Jeff Finkle during a volunteer nature restoration event at Acacia Reservation. Sign up now. It's free, but registration is required. Plus, this event is open to the public. If you'll be joined by your family and friends during your time in Cleveland, bring them along. See more about this event below.


Content area spotlight - The Creative Class and Its Contribution to Innovation, Arts and Culture

A community truly comes to life through the artists who call it home. Sessions in this track will highlight best practices and strategies from communities around the globe in making communities exciting locations to live, work and play.

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

Enticed by Arts and Culture: Driving Foot Traffic to the CBD
Wednesday | 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Tour: University Circle – Uptown – Little Italy
Sunday | 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Tour: Playhouse Square
Tuesday | 2:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.


See the full list of Annual Conference programming.


Concurrent Session Spotlight

Protecting Your Small Businesses from Predatory Lending
Tuesday, September 27 | 2:15 - 3:45 p.m.

Alternative small business lenders help fill financing gaps for small business owners who cannot access traditional loans. However, predatory practices among these alternative lenders are of growing concern, particularly for the impact they have among minority and low-income small business owners. Operating like payday lenders, these lenders charging triple-digit interest rates and hidden fees and are largely unregulated. This session will explore the impact of predatory small business lending and provide strategies to prevent these practices from harming your local businesses, including education campaigns and pushes for regulatory oversight.

What you'll learn:

- Defining predatory small business lending and the scope of the problem
- Understanding how to prevent and address this issue locally
- Providing specific tools/resources to take action against predatory small business lenders

Moderator:

Emily Robbins
Principal Associate
Economic Development National League of Cities

Speakers:

Brent Adams
Vice President of Policy
Woodstock Institute
Chicago, IL

Gwendy Brown
Vice President
Research & Policy, Opportunity Fund
San Francisco, CA


Educational Tour Spotlight

University Circle - Uptown - Little Italy Tour
Sunday, Sept. 25 | 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Price: $55

University Circle is a neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio. America's densest concentration of cultural attractions and performing arts venues, it includes such world-class institutions as the Cleveland Museum of Art; Severance Hall, home to the Cleveland Orchestra; the Cleveland Institute of Art; Case Western Reserve University; the Cleveland Institute of Music; the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland; the Cleveland Botanical Garden; historic Lake View Cemetery; the Cleveland Museum of Natural History; and University Hospitals/Case Medical Center. Encompassing approximately 550 acres the area is also known as "The Circle" to locals. While the population of University Circle ranks on the lower end of Cleveland's 36 defined Statistical Planning Areas (SPAs), it ranks near the top in importance to the city's economic sector. Neighborhood businesses and institutions provide the city with more than 30,000 jobs in a variety of fields, including averaging 1,000 new jobs per year since 2005. Interesting economic engines adjoining University Circle include the recent mixed use developments in Uptown Cleveland and the historic and vibrant Little Italy neighborhood.


Special Events Spotlight: Join IEDC's President and CEO, Jeff Finkle, CEcD, for this special volunteer service project.

Volunteer Service Project
Saturday, September 24 | 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Price: Free, but registration is required

To celebrate the IEDC Annual Conference, up to 50 adult volunteers are invited to assist restoration efforts in one of Cleveland Metroparks' largest conservation efforts of an urban watershed. Join your peers as we journey to the Acacia Reservation, a 155- acre green space oasis among a significantly congested area of the City of Lyndhurst. Transportation from the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland will be provided.

You're destined to see many amazing bird species - September is an exciting month in the Reservation

Spot a scarlet tanager, common to the northern Ohio area, or a warbler, which has become a frequent visitor to the region.

According to Cleveland Metroparks, September is one of the most exciting months for birding. You'll witness fall migration in full gear. Some of the species you may see include warblers, vireos, flycatchers, tanagers and thrushes. You may also spot birds of prey such as hawks or eagles, and shorebirds such as teals, sandpipers and plovers. See bird activities for the full year - you'll agree that September offers a real treat.

Pitch in. Lend a hand. Join us for this special volunteer service project as we kick-start the 2016 IEDC Annual Conference. This event is free, but only open to conference registrants.


Workshop: Building a Rock-Solid Board-CEO Partnership
Sunday, September 25 | 8:30 am - 11:00 am
Price: $25

Economic development organizations that thrive over the long run - both operationally and financially - are always led by a "Strategic Governing Team" consisting of a board of directors that is capable of making the kind of high-impact governing judgments and decisions that capitalize on growth opportunities and a board-savvy CEO working in close partnership with the board. And while a number of factors determine the long-term success of the chief executive of an economic development organization, none is more important than building a close, productive and enduring partnership with a high-impact board.

What you'll learn:

- Tested and true guidance in building and maintaining a close and productive board-CEO relationship
- Significant advances in the rapidly changing field of nonprofit governance
- The three roles that truly board-savvy CEOs must play in building a partnership with the board performance

A light breakfast will be served for workshop attendees.

Speakers:

Doug Eadie
President & CEO
Doug Eadie & Company, Inc.
Clearwater, FL

Kurt Foreman
Executive Vice President of Economic Development
Greater Oklahoma City Chamber
Oklahoma City, OK


Doug Eadie, President and CEO of Doug Eadie & Company, Inc. has a special message to share with you about building a rock solid board - ceo partnership. Tune in.



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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