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The largest annual gathering of IEDC members and economic development professionals will be in Toronto, Ontario, Canada before you know it. Prepare now to be part of that experience by registering while the savings opportunity lasts. You can save up to 20% if you act now.
 Annual Conference is the only event of its kind that brings together the world's largest gathering of economic development professionals. From program content, to speakers, special events, and educational tours throughout Toronto, our host community, you will be busy the entire way through. Did you know that a top reason Annual Conference attendees have registered for this event is because of the networking opportunities provided? And you guessed it, the other main reason is the program content. Annual Conference focuses on content tracks, which offer a variety of interactive concurrent session topics. The 2017 conference theme is Going Global: Connect. Collaborate. Create, and this year you'll hear from hundreds of speakers on topics that cover these five content tracks:
1. Building Local Linkages and Expanding Global Trade
2. The Nuts and Bolts of Economic Development
3. Nurturing the Startup Ecosystem
4. Regional Collaboration for Investment Promotion
5. And Cashing in on Creative Capital
Don't miss your opportunity to save up to $140. Register now!
Here's an idea of the content to be covered in the "Cashing in on your Creative Capital" track:
From major movie productions to backend business and professional services, supporting creative industries can drive a new workforce, generate new revenue streams, and transform local economies. Universities and community colleges throughout the U.S. and abroad have expanded their technology and media programs to pave the way for the next generation of technicians and media artists. What better place to discuss creative industries than Toronto, Ontario, Canada? From film to theater to art to culinary art, Toronto has a thriving scene for each industry. Here are a couple of session to be covered under this track:
Building a Home for Creativity to Thrive
Like any other industry, the arts and culture sectors need an appropriate space to thrive. The construction - literally and figuratively - of state-of-the-art theaters, gathering spaces and room to create is essential to boosting the performance of your creative industries. This session will explore how a comprehensive approach is needed to allow your creative industries to thrive be it through infrastructure improvement, design-forward placemaking and economic revitalization. The best collaborative practices will be on display in this session.
What you'll learn:
- How multi-agency and multi-sector efforts are needed to accomplish your creative economy goals
- The importance of high-level planning and connectivity for reimaging and activating spaces
- Igniting existing space within your community into places that suit the needs of the creative industries
Speakers:
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Regina Smith
Managing Director
Kresge Foundation
Troy, MI
See bio |
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Justin Belliveau
Chief Administrative Officer
Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, UT
See bio
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Stephen Swisher
Principal
GTS Development, LLC
Salt Lake City, UT
See bio
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Creative Capital Begins With C - Cash!
Creative capital leads to great economic development cash-in benefits, but first it requires cash-in investment. The creative, cultural, arts, and heritage nonprofits cannot do it alone, but they can bring the dollars together if economic development agencies lead, convene, advocate, and assemble the strategies. The ROI is worth it, but stepping out in favor of creative capital takes courage. This session shows how to do it and how to make it work.
What you'll learn:
- Wishing is not a strategy. You need to have a strategic plan for funding and financing creativity.
- Creative industries have tremendous benefits to the local economy, but they require cold hard cash to get them started and on solid footing
- Supporting creative industries is a team effort and needs a dedicated consortium of stakeholders
Speaker:
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Louise Stevens
President
ArtsMarket, Inc.
Bozeman, MT
See bio |
See the full program.
Speakers Galore - More being added the site weekly.
Refresh your browser, and clear your cache when you go to the IEDC 2017 Annual Conference speakers page, because there are new keynote and concurrent session speakers being confirmed weekly. Below are experienced leaders who will share insight and information with you. You’ll hear from these speakers and hundreds of other experts across economic development industries.
Keynote & Concurrent Session Speakers Spotlight:
 Meric Gertler
President
University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada
Meric Gertler began his term as the 16th President of the University of Toronto on November 1, 2013. Previously, he served as the Dean of the University’s largest and most diverse academic division, the Faculty of Arts & Science, a position he had held since 2008. As Dean, his priority was to provide students with a top quality academic experience in which they benefit directly from U of T’s strength and diversity in research and teaching. See full bio.
 Paula Dowell
Senior Associate and Director, National Transportation Economics Group
Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Paula Dowell, PhD is a Principal with Cambridge Systematics with more than 17 years of experience in economic development including 14 years of experience focused on freight and logistics development planning. Dr. Dowell has worked in 35 states and 8 countries for both public and private sector clients. See full bio.
 Douglas van den Berghe, PhD
CEO
Investment Consulting Associates (ICA)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dr. Douglas van den Berghe (PhD) is the CEO and founder of Investment Consulting Associates - ICA headquartered in Amsterdam and Boston with partner offices around the world and founder of two web based advisory products. See full bio.
 Carlos Delgado
Equitable Economic Development Fellowship Program Manager
National League of Cities I Rose Center
Washington, DC
Carlos E. Delgado is the Program Manager of the Equitable Economic Development (EED) Fellowship, a partnership between National League of Cities (NLC), the Urban Land Institute (ULI), and PolicyLink. In this role, Carlos and the EED Program Staff team provides one year of technical assistance to a class of six U.S. cities to help them pursue more equitable and inclusive economic development policies and programs. See full bio.
 Savannah Jermance, CEcD
Economic Development & Business Relations Manager
City of Rio Rancho, New Mexico
For the better part of the last decade, Savannah has served in many roles in economic development including working in proprietary higher education, business attraction at the state level, and most recently a broad spectrum of economic development activities at the municipal level with the City of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. She is an experienced business development and economic development professional, having earned her CEcD designation in 2016. See full bio.
 Kenneth Meter, MPA
President
Crossroads Resource Center
Minneapolis, MN
Ken Meter is one of the most experienced food system analysts in the U.S., integrating market analysis, business development, systems thinking, and social concerns. Meter holds 46 years of experience in inner-city and rural community capacity building, including several tribal organizations. His local economic analyses have promoted local food networks in 129 regions in 39 states and Manitoba. See full bio.
 Larisa Ortiz
Principal
Larisa Ortiz Associates
Jackson Heights, NY
Larisa Ortiz is an award winning consultant, speaker, and author in the field of commercial district revitalization. Larisa founded LOA in 2008, and since then has developed retail market and implementation strategies for over 100 districts worldwide. Larisa is the author of "Improving Tenant Mix: A Guide for Commercial District Practitioners" (ICSC, 2015), "Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse" (IEDC, 2000) and is founder and editor of The Commercial District Advisor newsletter and blog. See full bio.
 Gregg Wassmansdorf, MA, PhD (abd), LEED, AP
Senior Managing Director
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
Toronto, ON
Gregg Wassmansdorf is a Senior Managing Director at "Newmark Global Strategy", a leading business and real estate consulting organization. As a management consultant, he helps his corporate clients with business location strategy, supply chain realignment, facility portfolio and footprint optimization, site selection, economic incentive negotiation and procurement, workplace strategy, property transaction execution, and capital project implementation. See full bio.
 Tammie Sweet
Director
GrowFL
Orlando, FL
Tammie Sweet currently serves as Director for GrowFL, the Florida Economic Gardening Institute. She leads the program development throughout Florida, helping local communities build entrepreneurial efforts centered on the Economic Gardening philosophy and techniques. GrowFL was established in 2009 as a statewide economic development organization to serve second-stage growth companies. See full bio.
Don't wait till the last minute. Spaces will go fast. Book your room now to stay at the Annual Conference headquarters hotel:
 Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
123 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 2M9
IEDC Room Rate: $249 CAD single/double
Group Rate Cutoff: Friday, August 25, 2017
Book your room now.
Other important dates:
Conference Dates: September 17-20, 2017
Early Bird Registration Rate Cutoff: June 30, 2017
Pre-Conference Training Course:
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This highly interactive course lets participants work in small teams to help understand the complexity of strategic planning and its challenges. Economic developers must build consensus among board members, stakeholders and the community as a whole, creating a unified vision for the future. Learn techniques to build consensus among stakeholders who represent different values and interests. Also, participants will learn the quantitative techniques used to better understand their community including: location quotients, shift share, input-output and cluster analyses.
Course Highlights:
- Stakeholder analysis, structuring participation, planning fundamentals
- Consensus building, group facilitation and conflict
- Defining geography, competitive advantage and SWOT
- Determining vision, mission, goals and objectives
See them all
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Instructors:
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Eric McSweeney, CEcD, EcD(F), CCIM, ALC
President
McSweeney & Associates
See bio |
Jon Roberts
Principal
TIP Strategies, Inc.
See bio |
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Anne Roise, CEcD MCP
Instructor, Urban Studies & Planning
Savannah State University
See bio |
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Accommodations/Training Location:
Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
123 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 2M9
IEDC Room Rate: $249 single/double
Group Rate Cutoff: Friday, August 25, 2017
2017 Excellence in Economic Development Awards
Postmark your IEDC Awards entries today to be considered - you could be recognized at 2017 Annual Conference! See more details at iedconline.org/Awards2017.
Reminder: The Innovation in Economic Development Week (EDW) awards deadline is June 2.
Discuss creative industries, transportation, entrepreneurship and more at 2017 Annual Conference. All in the heart of downtown Toronto. Register now to save.
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