IEDC 2013 Spring Conference’s Fab Five

Leveraging Unique Regional Assets to Compete Globally: Spurring Job Creation Through Cluster Development and Transformation

June 9 - 11, 2013
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Register before Friday, April 5, and save with our Early Registration Rates!

Among all the states, Michigan has had the second fastest recovery from the Great Recession. This region had sustained low unemployment throughout the recession but kept up with Michigan’s swift recovery rate. IEDC Spring Conference attendees will learn from this remarkable story and those of other regions around the country that have found new assets, and rediscovered and transformed existing assets, to create economic success. Here are our Michigan Fab Five and why you need to be in Ann Arbor this June:

1.    Entrepreneurship

Highlighting effective strategies for supporting entrepreneurship, this year's Spring Conference will take a deeper dive.  Which sectors look particularly promising?  Where is the most innovative activity taking place and how is the growth in co-working shaking up the status quo?  Attendees will be presented with new case studies in industries ranging from food to defense, while walking away with new ideas for how to create a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem in their own communities.  

2.     University Partnerships

We are pleased to welcome two keynote speakers from the University of Michigan, Vice President for Government Relations Cynthia Wilbanks, and David Brandon, who, in addition to his current role as athletic director, is also the former CEO of Dominos Pizza. Both will talk about how the university is collaborating with the city of Ann Arbor to seed new industries and spur existing ones.  In addition to these local keynote speakers, our panel sessions will explore how universities and other anchor institutions can serve as useful strategic partners for growing life sciences, expanding local food clusters, and stimulating new export activity.

3.     Sustainability

As our profession moves into the future, all economic development will be sustainable development.  The 2013 Spring Conference will showcase multiple growth industries that can be economic and environmental difference-makers for your community.  Learn how your efforts in areas ranging from clean-tech to place-making to local food systems can help make your city or town more economically and environmentally sustainable.

4.     Foreign Direct Investment and Exports

At the same time as the near-doubling of US exports since 2010 leads to new opportunities for more and more communities to focus their efforts abroad, North America's continued popularity as a foreign direct investment destination also provides an additional source of jobs and capital for companies both starting up and expanding.  The economic development implications of current FDI and export trends are reason enough to book the next flight to Ann Arbor this June.  At the Spring Conference, speakers will touch on the current state of FDI, along with best practices in local and regional exporting strategies and how these two related topics fit within the context of developing a successful international strategy.

 5.     Network With Your Peers

We have breakfasts scheduled each morning, along with tours, and a reception at the University Of Michigan Museum Of Art. This is your chance to meet colleagues in the profession, build your contacts, and get your name out there.

Reserve Your Hotel Today

The Campus Inn
615 East Huron
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Phone: (800) 666-8693 or (734) 769-2200

IEDC room rate: Classic and Business Rooms: $151 single/ $174 double
Premium Rooms: $214 single/$237 double
Group rate cutoff: Friday, May 17, 2013