IEDC Annual Conference
September 30 – October 3, 2012
Houston, TX

http://www.iedconline.org/AnnualConference/index.html

Register before Friday, July 27 and save $100 with our Early Registration Rates!

Join Richard Florida at our Tuesday Luncheon where he'll discuss the tenth anniversary of his book "The Rise of the Creative Class". Rise, as it has been appropriately re-dubbed in the popular lexicon, looks at the forces reshaping our economy and how companies, communities, and people can survive and prosper in uncertain times. It gives us a provocative new way to think about why we live as we do today – and where we might be headed. Weaving storytelling with reams of cutting-edge research, Florida traces the fundamental theme that runs through a host of seemingly unrelated changes in American society: the growing role of creativity in our economy.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE:
Economic developers can't afford to use the same strategies they've always used and expect different results. Instead, ever-changing dynamics in business and the economy require creative new responses.

The International Economic Development Council's 2012 Annual Conference, September 30 - October 3 in Houston, Texas, will address the challenges and opportunities of growing jobs and investment in today's global economy. By energizing and empowering regional partners through shared messaging, resources, and best practices, communities small and large can reap the benefits and remain competitive.

The conference will explore key questions facing the economic development profession, including:
• How can communities capture opportunities today to catalyze growth for tomorrow?
• What tools and strategies are essential to making communities relevant and resilient in the changing global economy?
• How can economic developers sharpen their skills to become more flexible, adaptable leaders?
• How can communities identify and develop assets that are cost-effective and complement their strengths?

After tough times in the 1980s, Houston-area leaders laid a foundation for growth based on sound planning, a regional approach, and global competitiveness. Now, as the last U.S. region to enter the Great Recession and the first to emerge, Houston is a model of economic resiliency. Through a program of top speakers, cutting-edge topics, and educational tours, conference attendees will not only experience the region's spirit of cooperation and innovation, but leave with new tools and strategies to take their organizations to the next level.

Register today and join us for world's largest gathering of economic developers!

http://www.iedconline.org/AnnualConference/index.html