IEDC's Leadership Summit is the only annual conference exclusively for Certified Economic Developers and senior managers in the profession. What draws attended to this unique conference and what can you expect for 2017? Find out this and more with this captivate SlideShare. For more details and to register visit iedconline.org/LeadershipSummit

1. of survey respondents
say their #1 reason
for attending IEDC’s
Leadership Summit
is to learn about key
issues in economic
development
More than
90%
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

2. concern of
economic developers
in 2009?
#1
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

3. shrinking
budgets

4. concern of
economic developers
in 2013?
#1
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

5. Inadequate
workforce

6. WHAT WILL
2017 Bring?
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

7. Topics senior
professionals
will cover during
Leadership Summit
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

8. Strategy to Implementation:
Ensuring Your Strategic Plan is
Not a Dust Collector

9. We all know that failing to plan is planning to fail, yet your
community’s strategic economic development plan is only as
good as the implementation of that plan. EDOs often spend
tremendous time and human resources developing an economic
development strategy, but later become disappointed during
the implementation phase. From dealing with limited internal
project management capacity to uncertainty on how to get the
community truly engaged, this session will provide EDO leaders
with winning strategies on how to ensure your plans do not die
on the bookshelf.
Strategy to Implementation:
Ensuring Your Strategic Plan is
Not a Dust Collector
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

10. Establishing Work-Life Balance
as Economic Development
Leaders

11. Technology is blurring the lines between personal and
professional lives. It is not unusual for economic developers to
work around the clock on SmartPhones and laptops as you strive
to leverage your time. You are active members on the boards of
local organizations doing volunteer work with key community
organizations, giving input into business associations, and
participating in a myriad of other interactions that come with
community leadership - not to mention the fact that you need
to please your own board and local elected leaders, answering
their questions whenever they need attention. It is easy for
lines to become blurred and stress to cause burnout or worse
- conflict of interest issues with the economic developer. This
session focuses on how economic developers can ensure they
have time for their primary work and develop a work-life balance
in the face of this reality.
Establishing Work-Life Balance as
Economic Development Leaders
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

12. A Discussion on Inclusive
Economic Development and
Gentrification

13. New corridors of businesses around a community are a
welcome sight to an economic developer. However, new
activity in low income neighborhoods often means that the
cost of living will rise and become unsustainable for long-
time residents, leading to their displacement. This session
will look at how communities are revitalizing neighborhoods
while ensuring that everyone feels welcome in the new
community and can contribute to its growth.
A Discussion on Inclusive
Economic Development and
Gentrification
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

14. Economic Development Under the
Sea: Turning to the Ocean for
New Growth Opportunities

15. Much attention is focused on space exploration these days,
but the ocean is quietly providing rich economic development
opportunities for savvy investors. From the generation of
sustainable energy to marine equipment to fishing and
aquaculture, coastal and marine environments are a new frontier
for economic development. This session will walk you through
the things you should know about economic development
opportunities under the sea, all while considering the health of
our oceans.
Economic Development Under the
Sea: Turning to the Ocean for New
Growth Opportunities
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

16. Regional Economic Development:
Organizing and Executing for
Regional Success

17. As local economies begin to explore the impacts of regional
economic development, it is beneficial for communities to fully
understand its benefits and challenges.
EDRP’s new research examines how regional approaches
to economic development fill a void within the traditional
economic development landscape, and how EDOs can
effectively implement regional strategies within the communities
they serve. Additionally, this research explains why economic
competitiveness and business climate improvements are greatly
enhanced by organizing and executing regional strategies.
Regional Economic Development:
Organizing and Executing for
Regional Success
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

18. Turning Around a Community
Experiencing a Declining
Working Age Population

19. Communities that are losing their working age population
can enter into a vicious circle of population loss, difficulty in
attracting new industries and creating jobs, and a decline in
local revenue. While the situation can look bleak, recovery
is not impossible. This session will look at some resilient
communities that have seen a decline in their working age
populations but have managed to rebound. We will examine
some strategies for recovery.
Turning Around a Community
Experiencing a Declining Working
Age Population
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

20. Expect the Unexpected:
Contingency Plans for Your
Trade Mission

21. You have done all your research, have all your meetings
confirmed, and your trade mission is off to a great start
- until it isn’t. Political, social or economic upheaval can
derail a trade mission and put you and your delegation and
its reputation in danger. This session will look at the safety,
security and publicity considerations you need to take in
order to ensure that you feel prepared in an event of a
natural or manmade emergency.
Expect the Unexpected:
Contingency Plans for Your
Trade Mission
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

22. Becoming the “Go To” Resource
for your Local Businesses

23. Economic development leaders must always do their best to
anticipate, understand and respond to the needs of potential
and existing businesses in their community. But as much as
you try, your EDO is not always sought out by businesses that
are seeking support. In some cases, smaller to medium size
businesses may not even know that your organization exists and
the services it can provide. This session will examine winning
strategies of how economic developers can promote a clear line
of communication with local businesses.
Becoming the “Go To” Resource
for your Local Businesses
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

24. Where are the Millennial
Entrepreneurs?

25. While much has been said of the millennial generation as
being self-starters who are confident in their abilities and
skills, it often appears that this seemingly entrepreneurial
generation might just be entrepreneurial in mindset only.
According to various research works, this generation is the
least entrepreneurial in recent history and baby boomers are
starting up more companies than any other age group. What
does this mean for the future of entrepreneurship and how can
your EDO make a difference?
Where are the Millennial
Entrepreneurs?
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

26. Activating Empty Spaces:
Reimagining the Forgotten
Spaces in Communities for
Business and More

27. From abandoned churches to empty alleys, the nooks and
crannies of a community can provide interesting new locations
for businesses and community social events. By activating
empty or forgotten spaces around the community, your EDO
can make the most of its unused assets and bring new life and
memorable character to your community. This session will
examine some of the best examples of economic development
outside the box of traditional real estate.
Activating Empty Spaces:
Reimagining the Forgotten Spaces in
Communities for Business and More
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

28. Revving Up Your Creative
Industries with Incubation and
Acceleration Services

29. When someone speaks of incubators and accelerators,
the first thing that comes to most mind is tech companies.
Creative industries -- such as design, music, or online apps
and games -- need the same support services and programs
that help get tech companies off the ground. This session
will look at how EDOs can support the creative industries
and their entrepreneurs to ensure a high-growth and
dynamic local economy.
Revving Up Your Creative
Industries with Incubation and
Acceleration Services
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

30. Life in the Fast Lane: Case Study
of Florida’s Technology Hub

31. So much more than just a place for retirees and snowbirds,
Florida has become a leading technology hub over the past
decade. Through a collaborative effort of multiple EDOs,
the private sector and other institutions, South Florida is
home to the Network Access Point (NAP) of the Americas,
an entrepreneurial hotbed, and a strong and growing IT and
bioscience cluster. This session will showcase Florida as a
case study in building a world-class IT cluster.
Life in the Fast Lane: Case Study
of Florida’s Technology Hub
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

32. Economic Development
Book Club

33. Each year dozens of new books and articles come out on the
latest economic development topics. This session will focus
on a few good pieces of economic development literature to
build a lively conversation.
Economic Development Book Club
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

34. Support Team: Recruit/Retain or
Outsource?

35. A high quality support team for economic development
- such as IT, event planners, training instructors, and
accounting - is essential to a high performing EDO in a
competitive market, but finding the right people within
your budget can be challenging. Is it better to hire staff or
outsource to local or national firms? This session will explore
how to evaluate essential support staff hiring decisions, and
what criteria to use when outsourcing.
Support Team: Recruit/Retain or
Outsource?
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

36. Managing Generational
Differences in the Workplace

37. There is much talk about how to manage differences
between workers of multiple generations. It is important
that EDO leaders understanding how to mentor, manage and
support the continued development of younger employees,
while also taking care not to discriminate against older
workers. This session will highlight how one EDO leader is
being especially proactive and successful in his approach.
Managing Generational
Differences in the Workplace
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

38. Increasing Your Community’s ROI
from Social Entrepreneurs

39. Channeling their can-do attitude towards creating social and
financial returns on investment, social entrepreneurs can
make your community healthier, wealthier, and wiser through
their ventures in the environment, enterprise development
and education. As an economic development leader, you have
a role to play in helping these social entrepreneurs succeed,
and in turn, making your community more resilient.
Increasing Your Community’s ROI
from Social Entrepreneurs
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

40. Employee Wellness in Your EDO
and Community Businesses

41. There is a growing emphasis on promoting mental and
physical health in the workplace, with the goal of keeping
employees in top shape and productive on the job. EDOs
of any size can bring these “employee care” benefits and
philosophies to the office, and should be equipped to help
businesses in the community offer the same benefits. This
session will look at the most cost-effective and efficient ways
of emphasizing wellness as a core value.
Employee Wellness in Your EDO
and Community Businesses
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

42. WHAT else WILL
2017 Bring?
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31

43. Exchange ideas.
Get answers.
Register now.
iedconline.org/leadershipsummit
2017 IEDC Leadership Summit is from January 29–31