Press Room
Is your community cool? Civic leaders to speak at the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy
Leaders of Michigan and Massachusetts initiatives join accomplished lineup at October 24-25 forum in Fairfax County, Virginia; “Early bird” registration rates end July 31
Fairfax County, Virginia USA, July 27, 2007—Karen M. Gagnon, director of Michigan’s “Cool Cities” initiative, and John Barrett III, mayor of North Adams, Mass., which has experienced a resurgence thanks to the arts, will speak at the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy, set for October 24-25, 2007, in Fairfax County.
“Early bird” registration rates for the conference end July 31. To register, and take advantage of this reduced rate, click the REGISTER button at the top of the Creative Economy conference Web site.
Gagnon and Barrett will join a panel entitled “How Creative Communities Can Help Build a Diversified Local Economy.” Gagnon helped develop the Cool Cities Initiative for the Department of Labor and Economic Growth in Michigan and established the multi-state agency Cool Cities Coordinating Team. In 2004 she also helped launch the Cool Cities Pilot program, which includes 102 state-wide award designations and priority access to an innovative State Resource Toolbox.
Barrett has been mayor of North Adams since 1984 and is the longest-serving mayor in Massachusetts. He has overseen the city’s transformation from a single industry-based economy to a multi-business model, and has been the driving force behind artistic space development in the city. An important factor has been the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MassMoCA ), which was built on a reclaimed and beautifully restored North Adams factory site.
The 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy will examine the role that a strong, creative workforce plays in the growth and success of businesses and communities in an information-based economy.
The conference also will feature compelling keynote speakers: Professor Richard Florida, author of “The Rise of the Creative Class” and “The Flight of the Creative Class;” Pulitzer Prize winner, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, author of “The World is Flat;” and Alvin Toffler, author of “Future Shock,” “The Third Wave” and “Revolutionary Wealth.”
Visit www.creativeeconomies.org for detailed program information.
To date, sponsors of the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy are FORTUNE, the Fairfax County government, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, The Push Group LLC, Siddall and the International City/County Management Association. Sponsorship information is available by clicking on the sponsorship button on the Creative Economy conference Web site.
