On May 26th, 2010, the Washington Economic Development Commission is partnering with Department of Commerce, Office of the Governor, House and Senate Committees on Economic Development and the Washington Economic Development Association for a "Regional Innovation and Jobs Summit." The event is designed for the state's top economic development leadership and focused on answering a critical question, "How do we accelerate growth in the state's innovation clusters and bolster job creation?" The program will be jam-packed with practical presentations of job creation strategies and break-out sessions designed to foster productive relationships in the state's "Innovation Ecosystem." The state should be proactive in its economic development policy. It has the potential to emerge with strong employment growth and a more competitive economy--ahead of the national economic recovery-- if we share our best ideas and achieve consensus on a thoughtful strategy. "We need a new pattern of problem-solving if we are to succeed in creating jobs and thriving in the hyper-competitive global economy," says WEDC executive director Egils Milbergs. "Washington's future prosperity will depend on a bottom –up coordinated approach in supporting dynamic regional innovation ecosystems."
The Conference will be kicked off by WEDC Chair, Bruce Kendall, and Commerce Department Director, Rogers Weed. Gov. Chris Gregoire is invited to make opening remarks. Robert Atkinson, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and globally recognized thought leader will deliver the keynote address: Restoring US Innovation Leadership. Panel presentations will highlight exciting and real-time projects in developing the state's talent, entrepreneurship and infrastructure. House and Senate legislators will reveal their latest insights on how the state's fiscal crisis is impacting economic development policy and program budgets. The WEDC will update participants with its policy research regarding the state's defense clusters, federal programs to advance regional innovation, measuring the state's innovation performance, expanding exports and revitalizing the manufacturing sector. Washington State's "innovation hotspots" will be identified as a means of promoting the state's business attractiveness in the media globally. The afternoon segment will be an interactive workshop on building innovation ecosystems, leveraging the state's intangible capital and overcoming barriers for collaborative innovation. These summit discussions will be integrated into the next update of the State's long term economic development strategy and action recommendations to be presented to the Governor, legislature, congressional delegation and public later this fall.
Again, we would like to extend an invitation for you to attend the Summit. Click here to register (Trouble with the link? Please paste: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=199862 in your browser).
Regional Innovation & Jobs Summit
Venue: Hotel Murano, Venice Ballroom
1320 Broadway Plaza
Tacoma, WA 98402
Date: May 26th – 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
If you have any questions, please contact either Egils Milbergs at EgilsM@wedc.wa.gov or NoreenH@wedc.wa.gov or call 360.586.5662.
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