The early bird entry deadline for IEDC's Excellence in Economic Development Awards is this Friday - Submit your entry before prices increase.

It's so easy for time to get away from us. You still have time to pull together a winning application packet for the 2017 IEDC Excellence in Economic Development Awards program. This is an opportunity for your organization and team members to receive formal and international recognition for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban and rural communities. From now until Friday, April 7, you can save on entry fees by taking advantage of the early bird rate.

Want to get an idea of what the competition is like? Check out a list of past winners and their project profiles. 2017 winners will be recognized at the IEDC Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario Sept. 17-20.


See what last year's winners have to say about the value of an IEDC Award:

Gold Winner in the Special Purpose Website category:

"Our organization saw the immense value in participating in IEDC's marketing program awards as a tool to evaluate our ongoing community project and receive focused feedback from the selection committee. The process was quick and simple, and as a small community in northern Ontario, Canada (population 2,500) the opportunity to showcase our idea to such a vast audience of experienced practitioners made the decision a no-brainer. To be chosen as a Gold Award recipient was an amazing honour, and to be in the company of so many inspiring projects happening throughout North America is both humbling and gratifying - with IEDC's support, we know we're on the right path."
- Gord Knowles, Community Development Advisor - Atikokan Economic Development Corporation

Bronze Winner in the Economic Development Week category:

"CEZ, Inc. decided to participate in the "Economic Development Week" celebration because to my knowledge it had not been celebrated in our City or State. We had a long history of celebrating community development, but not economic development. We also thought this effort would present CEZ, Inc. with a great platform to showcase our commitment to the City of Columbia and validate our mission of job creation and blight elimination. It was our goal to not just market or promote Economic Development Week, but compellingly initiate an activity that would have a huge economic impact in the City of Columbia. Our aim was to demonstrate our corporation's commitment to create, retain and reinvest wealth and opportunities in the City of Columbia.

As a result of launching our Vacant and Abandoned Building Incentive Program, we awarded grants to fourteen small business owners. Those business owners purchased a vacant and/or abandoned building for business operations reuse. The small business owners either started a new business or expanded a current business and generated a total economic investment of 3.7 million dollars and created or retained 65 jobs in the City of Columbia, SC."
- Felicia Maloney, Executive Director - Columbia Empowerment Zone, Inc.

Go global with IEDC at 2017 Annual Conference in Toronto!

In this globally evolving economy, communities need to work together to encourage competition and advance economic growth. The program for Annual Conference focuses on the very topics that will prepare you to tackle global issues. The first IEDC's Annual Conference held outside of the United States, you will cover how to Connect, Collaborate, and Create at the global level to contribute to the transformation of local, state, and regional economies.

See how you'll spend your time at Annual Conference, check out this preliminary schedule:

Check out a sample of discussion topics you may have during concurrent sessions at 2017 Annual Conference:

Building Local Linkages and Expanding Global Trade This track will explore examples of successful trade and investment relationships between international cities and regions.

Cashing in on Creative Capital
This track will explore how economic development organizations can support the advancement of creative industries to further the workforce, business development, and cultural economy of their communities.

Nurturing the Startup Ecosystem
This track will examine the ways economic development organizations can embrace the startup ecosystem strategy within their communities through the bolstering of support for local start-ups and industry expansion.

Regional Collaboration for Investment Promotion
This track will look at how you can strengthen your community's assets in order to offer a total and irresistible package for prospective companies.

The Nuts and Bolts of Economic Development
This track will cover topics such as real estate development and reuse, marketing and attraction, neighborhood development strategies, and workforce development strategies.

Learn more about Annual Conference.

Take advantage of this incredible opportunity to show off your community or organization. Enter by Friday to save. And, plan your attendance to 2017 Annual Conference in Toronto.