Program

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($) = Extra fee event

Thursday, September 27
8:30 am - 4:30 pm	IEDC Professional Development Course: Business Retention & Expansion ($)
Friday, September 28
9:00 am - 4:30 pm	IEDC Professional Development Course: Business Retention & Expansion ($)
Saturday, September 29
7:00 am - 9:30 pm	Certified Economic Developers (CEcD) Exam ($)
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm	Tour: Collaboration for Jobs, Investment, and Future Prosperity: The Sealy, Texas Story ($) Please note: This tour has limited capacity and attendance is on a first-come first-served basis. Located at the crossroads of two major metropolitan highways in the Houston region, Sealy, Texas has a population of 6,000 and is fertile ground for manufacturing, development, and job creation. The ability of local business, government, and the community to attract jobs and capital investment sets Sealy apart from many other cities of its size. The story of the site redevelopment, which eventually housed two Fortune 500 companies at different times, speaks to the job creation and capital investment efforts of the community. Sealy also banded together to turn a piece of undeveloped property into a community asset. Through the joint efforts of many entities a new, 16-acre Memorial Park will help the town diversify outdoor recreation opportunities. The park also will meet Sealy's future growth needs, improve the quality of life for residents, and promote economic development. The project was made possible through collaboration among local residents, the City of Sealy, Sealy Economic Development Corporation, Sealy Youth Advisory Commission and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department along with various other donations of time and in-kind contributions. Tour stops: • Have lunch and hear an overview of community projects with elected officials, community leaders, and local business leaders. • BAE Systems – experience a ride on the 1.3 mile high speed test track w/ a 60 degree slope. • 16-acre Memorial Park. • View projects that are complementary to the Memorial Park including a new police station, fire station and a public/private mixed used development. • Driving tour of downtown revitalization projects including a new clock/fountain tower constructed in the center of the downtown area. Price: $45
Sunday, September 30
7:00 am - 12:00 pm	Certified Economic Developers (CEcD) Exam ($)
7:00 am - 1:00 pm	Golf Outing at Tour 18 Houston ($) Tour 18 Houston reproduced the most renowned holes in the history of golf. Imagine yourself playing the challenging holes that have determined the outcome of tournaments like the US Open, The Masters, The Tour Championship and the PGA Championship. Price: $100
8:00 am - 7:30 pm	Registration and Resource Center Open
10:30 am - 12:30 pm	International Innovation Session: Lessons from Around the Globe As the economy struggles to climb out of the Great Recession, economic developers are constantly looking for new ways of fostering job creation in their communities. Globally, new techniques and partnerships are being formed to drive innovation. This session will draw from best practices in economic development innovation from around the world - highlighting EDOs that are using cutting edge technology and new ideas to generate economic development in their communities. • Economic Development Ethics Workshop
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Learning Lab: The Future of Shale Fracking Hydraulic Fracturing has breathed new life into some American region's fossil fuel industry, providing access to previously hard-to-reach natural gas resources. According to some estimates, increased production from fracking holds the potential to create 1 million US jobs over the next decade in energy and related industries. Still, the potential benefits of fracking are accompanied by environmental and public health risks, with concerns over contaminating local drinking water and altering natural scenery. Get the pros and cons on fracking and learn about how innovations in fossil fuel production are impacting the local, regional and national economies. • Sponsor Learning Lab
1:00 pm - 7:30 pm	The Economic Development Marketplace (Exhibit Hall) Opens
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm	Opening Plenary Session Keynote Speaker: Dr. M. Ray Perryman, President & CEO, The Perryman Group, Waco, TX
3:45 pm - 5:15 pm	Concurrent Sessions: Turning Tragedy into Opportunity: Is Your Community Prepared? Communities face a number of challenges after a disaster and/or a period of economic distress. Effective planning can allow communities to mitigate negative impacts and create vibrant new economic futures. This session will present proactive approaches to disaster recovery and identify tools that can help regions adjust to increased unemployment and lost businesses. The new National Disaster Recovery framework will be presented and discussion will center on how communities can utilize its provisions for more effective pre- and post-disaster recovery. Sell Your Community: Mastering Presentation Skills Both seasoned veterans and novice professionals can benefit from improving their ability to connect with an audience. For economic development professionals, polished presentation skills are the cornerstone of successful communication with prospects, local leaders and other stakeholders. Attendees of this session will learn best practices for presenting information while gaining new tools and knowledge that can be applied to any audience. This session also will address new presentation formats such as Ignite and pecha kucha. Attracting Data Centers to Your Community Technology modernizations and faster bandwidth speeds are driving demand for new data centers. Data centers provide communities many benefits leading to a highly competitive landscape for development. As companies try to meet rising demand, power capability, infrastructure and taxes are influencing location decisions. This session will focus on how communities can focus their efforts to capitalize on the opportunities in this rapidly growing industry. Moderator: Peter Gross, PE, Vice President and Managing Partner, HP Technology Consulting, Hewlett-Packard Co., El Segundo, CA Speakers: • Omar Garcia, Vice President, San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, San Antonio, TX Discussion Roundtables #1 Discussion Roundtables are an interactive format where you can exchange information and ideas on key economic development topics in small groups of your peers. Each roundtable is led by a topic expert who facilitates discussion and ensures equal participation. There are no formal presentations. The roundtables are a popular session format, presenting the opportunity to engage in substantive conversations to learn, network, and share best practices. Seating is limited for all discussions. • Collaborating with Elected Officials • Effective Relationships with Boards of Directors • Infrastructure Partnerships • The Export Economy • Marketing in the Global Economy • Next Generation Metrics • The Changing Workforce • Retail in a Digital World • Budding Relationship: Business Retention and Workforce Development • The Changing Face of Economic Development • Becoming an AEDO
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm	Chairman's Reception
9:00 pm	Young Professionals Networking Event
Monday, October 1
7:00 am - 5:30 pm	Registration, Resource Center and The Economic Development Marketplace Open
7:00 am - 8:00 am	Learning Lab: Best Practices in Redeveloping Brownfields Brownfields provide communities with economic opportunities and reinvestment. Hear about two award winning brownfields projects that transformed contaminated developments into economic drivers for their communities. Speakers: • Karl R. Dorshimer, CEcD, President & CEO, Lansing Economic Development Corporation, Lansing, MI • Networking Breakfast in The Economic Development Marketplace • New Member Breakfast • Non-Member Breakfast
8:15 am - 9:45 am	Monday Morning Plenary Session Keynote Speakers: • Jason Few, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer of NRG Energy, President of Reliant, Houston, TX
9:00 am - 12:00 pm	Tour: The Texas Medical Center: Growing a World Class Healthcare System ($) Please note: This tour has limited capacity and attendance is on a first-come first-served basis. With baby boomers aging, new growth opportunities are arising within the healthcare industry. The Texas Medical Center, the world's largest, is the seat of the Houston region's medical breakthroughs and is a hotbed of next generation innovations in life sciences. It employs more than 93,000, and about six million patients annually visit its 49 institutions. Advanced research and the development of next generation technologies are driving growth of the healthcare industry in the Houston region. On this tour you will hear the story of how Houston leveraged local assets and partnerships to become leaders in healthcare, and learn strategies to grow and nurture your local healthcare industry. Tour stops: • Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center: tour of revolutionary robotics, life flight helipad and signature suites as well as information relating to pediatrics and rehabilitation (TIRR). • Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center: recently received a 4 year, $85.2 million renewal award from the National Human Genome Research Institute, one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health. • John P. McGovern Texas Medical Center Commons: the central meeting and gathering place for thousands of staff, patients and visitors who frequent the campus daily Price: $45
10:00 am - 11:30 am	Concurrent Sessions: Port Cities as Economic Drivers and Business Attraction Catalysts Both coastal and inland port cities have a unique opportunity to leverage their geographic assets for economic growth. As new trade agreements are signed, the Panama Canal is expanded, and infrastructure is developed, new business attraction opportunities will arise for ports cities. This session will explore the current state of port economies and present strategies for attracting companies in and around the port facilities. Preparing the Workforce for Tomorrow's Opportunities Globalization, technology, innovation and the need for networked production and service provision are all placing new demands on companies and industries and therefore workers. Many of today's occupations did not exist 20 years ago and over the next 20 years it is likely that a majority of the occupations will shift as technology, culture and the economy are changing rapidly. New strategies and programs are being created to prepare workers and industries to be competitive now and in the future. This session will explore the shift in employment and occupations trends and strategies to grow a workforce ready for tomorrow's opportunities. Moderator: • LaDene H. Bowen, CEcD, FM, Associate Director, University of Northern Iowa Institute for Decision Making, Cedar Falls, IA Speakers: • Jim Damicis, Senior Vice President, Camoin Associates, Scarborough, ME • Norma Owens, President, The Avadon Group, The Colony, TX • Neil Richardson, Director of Continuing Education, Community College of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC Not Your Father's Job Market: Interviewing and Hiring Skills The job market for economic developers has transformed since the recession. Job searches are taking longer and openings are more competitive, and employers are receiving larger numbers of applications than in previous years. For employers, selecting the right candidate from larger pools of applicants remains a challenge. This session will explore new trends in hiring and interviewing that help ensure the best person is hired for the position. If you're searching for a job, this session will offer advice to stand out in an interview and negotiate a top offer. Speakers: • David P. Smith, Executive Vice President, Economic Development Sector Leader, DHR International, Pittsburgh, PA • EDRP Research Session
11:40 am - 1:40 pm	Economic Development Ethics Workshop
11:45 am - 1:30 pm	• Defining Issues Luncheon ($) • Networking Lunch in The Economic Development Marketplace
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm	Learning Lab: Ships Start Here: A Social Movement to Attract Development In October 2011, Nova Scotia won a $25 billion contract to build Canada's next-generation federal combat fleet - the largest procurement contract in Canadian history. It happened because local business, community and government leaders in the province came together to tell the story of "Ships Start Here," a campaign involving digital strategy, national and regional marketing communications, community engagement and public relations strategies. This learning lab will focus on the power of storytelling and integrated web-based strategies to galvanize support and meet objectives.
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm	Walking Tour: Urban Renewal: Reinventing Downtown / Case Study: Skid Row to Live, Work, and Play ($) Public-private partnerships can revitalize former areas as well as attract businesses, create jobs, and increase the tax base. Both Discovery Green and the Houston Pavilions have received considerable support from the City of Houston and the business community. The brainchild of former Houston Mayor and former U.S. Assistant Energy Secretary Bill White, the Discovery Green draws crowds for activities ranging from concerts, festivals and fireworks to yoga, Houston's venerable Art Car Parade and special performances customized for conventioneers. The park earned LEED certification in October 2009. Your behind-the-scenes tour of the Houston Pavilions' 1.4-acre city blocks is a window into the collaboration of a public-private partnership that helped this commercial development come to life. Currently, the Pavilions features shops, a bookstore, local and national restaurants, a bowling alley and serves as a hub for entertainment in the Downtown Business District. In keeping with the Houston region's embrace of alternative energy efficiencies, The Pavilions' parking garage has electric vehicle charging for fleet and employee use. Tour stops: • Houston Pavilions: multi-use business and entertainment complex • Discovery Green: 11.78-acre green oasis in the heart of Houston's business district • Hess Tower: 29-story building and headquarters for Hess Corp. that overlooks Discovery Green • BG Group Place: one of only three worldwide buildings owned by Shell to gain LEED Platinum designation Price: $45
1:45 pm - 3:15 pm	Concurrent Sessions: On the Front Line: Sustainable Economic Development Sustainable, green, and low-carbon development is increasingly seen as a pathway to economic recovery, resilience, and prosperity. A growing number of cities and regions are recognizing that their climate, energy needs, and economic development goals are intertwined. As a result, they are looking for the frameworks, tools, skills, and resources they need to create more innovative and integrated solutions. This session will examine how local and regional officials can work effectively with the private sector, the nonprofit sector, and state government counterparts to develop and implement sustainable economic development strategies. Speakers: • Mark Barbash, FM, Principal, MB Economic Development Consulting, Columbus, OH • Hunter Morrison, Director, Center for Urban and Regional Studies, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH The Workforce Tipping Point: Why Post-Secondary Education Completion Rates Matter for Economic Development At a time when companies are placing a greater value on access to an educated workforce in their location decisions, many communities are struggling with low post-secondary education completion rates. As a result, there's a growing divide that significantly impacts the ability of economic developers to recruit and retain companies. Understanding education attainment statistics and how they impact our cities and regions in terms of economic development and regional prosperity is vital. The session will present initiatives to address this critical issue and what individual communities can and should do to position themselves to be more competitive and successful in the local and global economy. Gen Busters: Bridging the Generation Gap The "generation gap" has never been more pronounced. For the first time in history, we are experiencing a multi-generational workforce and community like no other—four generations side by side. Today's multi-generational work, home and community environments often generate new tensions among groups that vary by age, interest and opinions. Attendees will gain tools that help diffuse growing cross-generational tension. Economic developers who take part in this session will understand how to foster generational understanding – a skill that can reduce serious impediments to workplace productivity and stresses in community life. Speakers: • Peter Tokar, Jr., Senior Vice President, BOLD Consutling, Miramar, FL Add Exit Planning and Employee Stock Ownership Plans to Your Business Retention Strategies Statistics show that a minority of small business owners have succession plans, even though this lack of planning can lead to the eventual liquidation of the company or sale to a non-local party. In both cases, the community can end up losing jobs and a vibrant enterprise. Economic developers who understand the exit paths available to business owners have an enormous opportunity to keep these firms in their communities. This session will discuss how to aid business owners in planning those paths. Speakers: • John Brown, President, Business Enterprise Institute, Golden, CO • Helen Chan, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, Stress Engineering Services Inc., Houston, TX • Bill McIntyre, Ohio Employee Ownership Center, Kent State University, Kent, OH • Corey Rosen, Senior Staff Member, National Center for Employee Ownership, Oakland, CA
3:15 pm - 3:50 pm	Silent Auction & Ice Cream Social in The Economic Development Marketplace
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm	Concurrent Sessions: If You Redevelop It, Will They Come? A number of downtowns, main streets, and waterfronts are experiencing a renaissance. Vacant historic buildings are being redeveloped and leveraged as anchors for future development. As urban living continues to be more popular, demand for spaces to live, work and play are increasing in downtowns.. Is your community ready? This session will investigate redevelopment strategies that will teach attendees how to leverage vacant historic buildings to address demand for urban living, working, and playing. Meeting Workforce Demands in the Manufacturing Sector The days when unskilled workers could find good manufacturing jobs are largely behind us. New technologies and work processes mean that incoming workers need advanced skills and incumbent workers need continual re-training. Filling these jobs will become even more challenging as many older workers retire. For younger generations, manufacturing is competing with more career choices than ever before. This session will explore strategies to meet manufacturers' workforce needs and help them stay or expand in your community. Speakers: • Debra Lyons, Vice President, Community and Economic Development, Workforce Development Division, ACT, Inc., Atlanta, GA Tapping into the Global Economy: Effective International Attraction Strategies As local economies become increasingly connected to global marketplaces, economic development organizations must map and develop strategies to attract foreign direct investment. Companies are not just investing internationally, but are positioning themselves to compete in the post-recession global economy. This session will explore trends in foreign direct investment, important influences on fdi and how to develop an effective international strategy. Speakers: • Paul J. Kleijne, Partner, ARCUSplus - Transatlantic Business Development, The Hague, Netherlands Discussion Roundtables #2 Discussion Roundtables are an interactive format where you can exchange information and ideas on key economic development topics in small groups of your peers. Each roundtable is led by a topic expert who facilitates discussion and ensures equal participation. There are no formal presentations. The roundtables are a popular session format, presenting the opportunity to engage in substantive conversations to learn, network, and share best practices. Seating is limited for all discussions. • Economic Development in a Sustainable World • Empowering Entrepreneurs • Reversing the Brain Drain • Rebirth of Older Cities • Trends in Incentives • Small Business Finance • The Immigrant Workforce • Beyond Clusters: Targeted Economic Growth • Shaping Rural Prosperity • Ethics and Economic Development • Communicating Issues with Candidates Special Session: Becoming an Accredited Economic Development Organization IEDC's Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) Program is a means of recognizing the professional excellence of economic development entities. The AEDO Program provides economic development organizations with independent feedback on their operations, structure and procedures, and recognizes excellence in local economic development efforts. To date, more than twenty organizations are accredited. Come and enjoy a continental breakfast in the exhibit hall while you learn how to take your organization to the next level through the AEDO Program.
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm	Recognition Dinner ($)
Tuesday, October 2
7:00 am - 5:00 pm	Registration Open
7:00 am - 12:00 pm	The Economic Development Marketplace (Exhibit Hall) and Resource Center Open
7:00 am - 8:00 am	Networking Breakfast in The Economic Development Marketplace
7:00 am - 8:30 am	• Special Session: Preparing for the CEcD Exam Workshop
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Learning Lab: Local Assets for Global Relevance: Food Safety Competencies As the global supply of food expands and diversifies, so do concerns over food safety. The City of Battle Creek, Michigan has capitalized upon its traditional strengths to develop a more robust food safety process. In this session you will learn how to indentify hidden community assets, as well as regional and global connections that can be fused to formulate and strengthen your local food sector strategy. Hear how Battle Creek through a collaboration of industry, university, foundation and community leaders came together to combat deterioration and job loss through formulation of a new global development strategy based upon traditional assets and competencies.
8:00 am - 11:30 am	Tour: Energizing Today to Empower Tomorrow: How the Energy Capital Remains Relevant ($) Please note: This tour has limited capacity and attendance is on a first-come first-served basis. See firsthand why Houston is the "energy capital of the world." From traditional oil and gas to alternatives like wind, solar, biofuels, the Houston region has it all. Since the 1980s the region has been diversifying its economic base by targeting various cluster industries and has learned to not just rely upon one industry for future growth. Houston ranks third in the nation for current green jobs and potential growth. The tour will include an insider's view at a large, major energy company of either its world class visualization center or a tour of two of its downtown facilities which recently were award Gold and Silver LEED certifications that were the largest such projects in the U.S. and high the on the list globally. Participants also tour the groundbreaking University of Houston Energy Research Park and the innovative Green Building Resource Center. Tour stops: • Visualization center or LEED-certified offices at a large major energy company • University of Houston Research Energy Park including the new Conoco Phillips Petroleum Engineering Building; device fabrication lab at the Center for Superconductivity Research; alternative fuel testing site; and the future home of the National Wind Energy Center • Green Building Resource Center - learn about green building options at an interactive kiosk; a 250-gallon rain tank that collects water from the roof drain line; a vegetative roof; and hear firsthand about Houston's award-winning sustainability efforts. Price: $45
8:00 am - 12:00 pm	Tour: Incubating Innovation: Commercializing Technologies of the Future ($) Please note: This tour has limited capacity and attendance is on a first-come first-served basis. Discover the ins and outs of local business incubators ranging from energy and technology, to groundbreaking life sciences processes and technology during your exclusive tour of BioHouston, the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, and the Johnson Space Center. The tour will begin with a stop at BioHouston, a non-profit organization leading the charge to establish the Houston region as a vigorous global competitor in life science and biotechnology commercialization. The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship is the tour's second stop where attendees will learn from the sponsors of the world's largest business plan competition. Since its inception, the renowned Rice Business Plan Competition has been the launching pad for more than 133 companies raising $397 million. Lastly, tour attendees will visit the Johnson Space Center. Participants will explore and experience Mission Control, the International Space Station, and Building 9 while at the Johnson Space Center. The Technology Transfer and Commercialization Office at the Space Center is constantly forming partnerships that contribute to and benefit from NASA's research and development and technology innovations. The lessons learned from these successful partnerships, particularly those in Texas and Colorado may be applicable in your own community. Tour stops: • Meet with Rice Alliance officials to learn about the Alliance's entrepreneurship programs for the general public including its Venture Forums and Rice Business Plan Competition, the largest business plan competition in the world. • Odem Engineering Design Center at Rice University, where students and staff are working to commercialize the university's technology. • Johnson Space Center - Building 9, Mission Control, the neutral buoyancy lab, and an innovative business accelerator between JSC and the Houston Technology Center Price: $45
8:45 am - 10:15 am	Tuesday Morning Plenary Session
10:00 am - 12:00 pm	Exhibit Appointment Hours in The Economic Development Marketplace
10:30 am - 12:00 pm	Concurrent Sessions: Empowering Tomorrow: Economic Development Through Renewable Energy The presence of renewable energy in a community enhances its opportunities for recruiting and retaining companies. As the cost of renewables has been drastically reduced over the years, renewable energy can offer your community new opportunities. This session will explore why it is important in attracting and retaining companies to your community. A case study, which details a clean energy program that can be replicated in your community, will be presented. The Many Roles of Higher Education in Entrepreneurship Institutes of higher education are satisfying a unique role in stimulating entrepreneurial growth within their regions. Whether it is providing resources, aiding in developing capital, or accelerating research for commercialization, academia has become a key player in the success of entrepreneurial eco-systems. This session will detail how communities partner with higher education institutions to develop robust entrepreneurial ecosystems. Speakers: • Steve Golding, Vice President for Finance and Administration, CFO and Treasurer, Ohio University, Athens, OH • Diane Palmintera, President, Innovation Associates, Reston, VA • Wayne H. Watkins, Associate Vice President for Research, The University of Akron, Akron, OH Re-shoring Manufacturing Firms The weak dollar, rising wages in China and higher transportation costs are just three factors driving manufacturers to move operations back to the United States. Using their existing assets, many communities can find new opportunities and strategies to strengthen their local manufacturers and attract expanding ones. This session will explore policies, skills and approaches that economic developers can cultivate to create supportive environments for manufacturing success. Speakers: • Susan Christopherson, PhD, J. Thomas Clark Professor, City & Regional Planning, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY • Harry Moser, President & Founder, Reshoring Initiative, Kildeer, Il • EDRP Research Session
12:15 pm - 2:00 pm	Keynote Luncheon Keynote Speaker: Richard Florida, PhD, Author, Senior Editor, The Atlantic Magazine, Director and Professor of Business and Creativity at University of Toronto, Miami Beach, FL
2:15 pm - 3:45 pm	Concurrent Sessions: Invigorating Manufacturing in Your Community: Partnerships and Business Retention and Expansion Strategies for Success Competing in today's global economy requires that communities develop a new way of thinking about how to retain and expand local manufacturers' operations . Building strong relationships are more important than ever, and can mean the difference between a dying factory and an emerging one. This session will demonstrate how to develop new partnerships to ensure workers are trained and recruited and that suppliers are engaged and brought closer for just-in- time turnaround. Audience Driven Economic Development Web Strategies As they build their websites, economic developers have to address the needs and expectations of their various audiences. However,having a great looking economic development website does not necessarily assure strong traffic. Savvy economic developers pay very close attention to how site visitors are driven to a website and how they will use it.. This session will explore successful strategies and useful tools to develop an effective economic development site. An assessment of key aspects of economic development websites will be reviewed. Moderator: Jim Walton, Chief Executive Officer, Brand Acceleration, Inc., Indianapolis, IN Speakers: • Edward Burghard, CEO & Founder, The Burghard Group, LLC, Loveland, OH • Eric P. Canada, Partner, Blane, Canada Limited (CN2), Wheaton, IL • Jay A. Garner, CEcD, CCE, FM, HLM, President, Garner Economics, LLC, Atlanta, GA Going Global Through Collaboration International opportunities are plentiful but do not often come knocking at your community's door. Working with local and international partners to bring companies in your communities opens the door to new or overlooked international opportunities. This session will show participants how to identify and access international opportunities and build relationships with local and international partners to advantage of these prospects. Speakers: • Stephen Benoit, Chief Representative, Andean Region, Export Development Canada, Embassy of Canada, Lima, Peru • Shane Jaffer, Director, International Financial Institutions, Private Sector Liaison Officer for the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, Government of Alberta, Calgary, AB, Canada • Monica Rovers, Business Development Manager, Energy, The Americas, Calgary Economic Development, Calgary, AB, Canada • Current Trends Session
3:45 pm - 5:45 pm	Excellence in Economic Development Awards Ceremony IEDC's Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognize the world's best economic development projects, programs and partnerships. This ceremony honors over 150 organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban and rural communities across 25 categories.
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm	Concurrent Sessions: Doing Business with China China is the fastest growing economy in the world. As Chinese wealth continues to grow, so do the opportunities for attracting foreign direct investment to the U.S. This session will highlight best practices in Chinese FDI attraction through on-the-ground case studies. Attend this session to learn how to vet Chinese growth opportunities, market to Chinese enterprises, and interact with Chinese business representatives when they come knocking. Constructive Approaches to Funding: Supporting Businesses from Start-Up to Success Funding is critical to businesses of any shape and size at all stages of growth. Recently, many businesses have faced an uphill battle in formation and growth as low cost financing has become more difficult to obtain. This session will highlight three communities ‘approaches to launch start ups, help more established businesses commercialize their products and assist small businesses with expansion. Speakers: • Rosy Jalifi, Assistant Director, City of Austin Small Business Development, Austin, TX • Skip Simms, Senior Vice President, Ann Arbor SPARK, Ann Arbor, MI Technology Tools for Economic Developers From comprehensive federal data to GIS mapping, economic developers have more digital tools at their disposal than ever before. Data analytics and other interactive technologies can help economic developers better understand their communities identify advantages and design growth strategies based on the best and most complete information available. Learn about programs and tools to help you leverage the best assets in your community. Promoting Infrastructure and Logistics for a Globally Competitive Manufacturing Sector Access to various modes of transportation are becoming increasingly important in the growth and expansion of existing manufacturing sites as well as the selection of new sites. Locations which offer movement of goods via rail, water, air and highway are more competitive for selection of new manufacturing facilities and retention and expansion of existing companies. This session will address why and how the access to various modes of transportation fosters business attraction and expansion for a nationally and internationally competitive manufacturing industry.
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm	Networking Reception
Wednesday, October 3
7:30 am - 9:00 am	Steal This Idea: The Marketing Experts Tell All Looking for a few good marketing ideas to take back to your community? IEDC has brought together three leading economic development marketing experts to share proven marketing methods and tools that can be implemented by economic development organizations in communities of all sizes. Best marketing practices in the economic development profession as well as from the general marketing world will be featured. Starting with questions posed by the moderator, this session will be fast-paced and high-energy with plenty of opportunities for audience participation and questions. Speakers: • Anya Codack, Chief Executive Officer, Yfactor, Toronto, ON, Canada • Andrew T. Levine, President/Chief Creative Officer, Development Counsellors International, New York, NY • Anatalio Ubalde, MCP, FM, CEO and Co-Founder, GIS Planning, Inc. and Zoomprospector.com, San Francisco, CA The Future of Economic Development: Transaction to Transformation As the global economy adds major new players, competitive regions and networks of business interaction, the old ways of practicing economic development are becoming less productive and perhaps obsolete. Successful economic developers of the future will need new job skills such as the ability to crowd-source innovative ideas and new funding mechanisms for startups in a creative molecular economy. This session will guide communities and organizations through the fundamental change from transaction-oriented economic development to a new transformational era in the global economy and the practice of economic development. New approaches and ideas already in use or being created by EDOs across the globe will be presented. Speakers: • Ronnie L. Bryant, CEcD, FM, HLM, President & CEO, Charlotte Regional Partnership, Charlotte, NC • Scott Gibbs, President, Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island, Cumberland, RI • Rick Smyre, President, Center for Communities of the Future, Gastonia, NC • Mark Waterhouse, CEcD, FM, HLM, President, Garnet Consulting Services, Inc., Pleasant Valley, CT • Networking Breakfast
9:15 am - 10:45 am	Corporate Real Estate Directors Session Economic developers often hear from their peers and from site selection consultants but seldom from corporate real estate advisors on site selection and facility location deal-making. Hear from senior real estate directors at global Fortune 500 companies on International markets and supply chain challenges faced by their businesses in an era in which they can choose facility locations worldwide. This session will offer the opportunity to learn the major site selection challenges faced by the corporate end-user; how to effectively communicate with the senior corporate real estate officer at a major global company, and how to look at the facility deal from the perspective of a company's senior manager. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions to the panel. Speakers: • George Manos, President, United States Steel Real Estate, Pittsburgh, PA • Jim Winter, Global Manager - Corporate Real Estate, Alcoa Inc., Pittsburgh, PA With Ignite IEDC #2, You'll Light Up the Room You have five minutes and twenty slides. What cutting-edge thinking, strategies or best practices will you present to an audience of economic developers? Here is your chance to test new ideas, try out a new presentation or just show off. IEDC is adopting the "Ignite" format, a 90 minute public speaking lightning-round that stimulates new thinking and provokes action. In this session, a wide range of economic development topics and presenters will challenge a packed room. Whether you are a presenter or an attendee, you can't afford to miss this exciting event! How do you sign up to present? Simple, just email a 250-word description of your proposed presentation, your biography and complete contact information to proposals@iedconline.org by July 20, 2012. Only noncommercial presentations will be considered.
11:00 am - 12:30 pm	Site Consultants Forum Hearing directly from site consultants has proven to be immensely popular. The opportunity to learn the ins and outs of site selection; to gain insights on the latest trends; and to ensure that your communities are doing what they can to attract their attention is vital. At this unique forum, you will have the opportunity to ask your questions to a panel of leading site consultants while hearing what economic developers are asking site consultants. You can't afford to miss this valuable information. EB-5 Workshop Since 1990, the EB-5 visa program has attracted more than $1.5 billion in investments and created more than 31,000 US jobs. EB-5 Regional Centers provide economic development organizations (EDOs) with the unique ability to recruit foreign investors and foreign direct investment, ultimately leading to the creation of new jobs and increased wealth generation on a local and regional level. This workshop will explore the ins and outs of the EB 5 program and will highlight how economic development professionals are using the program to provide creative financing for development projects in their communities.