Taking it to the Streets

Annual Convention - October 4-7, 2011

Grand Rapids, Michigan

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October 4-7, 2011

Budgets are tight and we feel your pain. We’ve shortened the Convention to accommodate your travel budget! Convention will kick-off with the opening general session at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 5, instead of the traditional general session on Tuesday afternoon, saving you one night at the hotel!

From comprehensive media coverage to testimony in Lansing, the League has been beating the drum loud and clear to make sure both our legislative leaders and our citizens understand Why Place Matters. We can all help build better communities for people—places with unique identities and assets that truly put people first.

But we need YOUR voice if we want to be heard above the background noise. This year we’ve seen a shift in legislative priorities and attitude that threatens the ability of local leaders to drive the change our communities need to compete on a national scale in the 21st century.

That’s why we’re Taking it to the Streets in the heart of Grand Rapids during the final week of ArtPrize, where you’ll see firsthand how arts and culture are transforming that city’s image on a worldwide scale. It’s the perfect backdrop for our message on Why Place Matters in building better communities for the 21st Century. Our impassioned presenters are bringing a powerful message on how YOU can find your rhythm in today’s embattled economy.

It’s time for Michigan municipalities to band together and show the world we are the people and places of Michigan.

Inspire. Innovate. Engage. Empower.
Four days in October. That’s all it takes to put the power of the future in your hands.

Speakers Appearing on the Convention Main Stage Include:

	Helen Johnson Co-Founder CreateHere Placemaking	Inspire. Back in 2007, a small visionary group lit the fuses of arts, economy and culture to ignite a creative explosion in Chattanooga, TN. Helen Johnson will tell you how this group's Placemaking efforts are drawing an exciting new breed of creative entrepreneurs to Chattanooga’s urban core, and how to use those same concepts to inspire change here at home.
	Toby Barlow Co-President & Executive Creative Director JWT Team Detroit Messaging & Technology	Innovate. JWT-Team Detroit is redefining communications for Michigan’s modern manufacturing industry. They’re the creative team who launched the Ford Explorer on Facebook. They’re the tech-savvy wizards behind the Warrior sports gear website. Co-President & Executive Creative Director Toby Barlow will reveal how powerful new Messaging and Technology tools can help drive change in our communities.
	Sadicka White President Sadicka & Associates Physical Design & Walkability	Engage. In 13 years as the Director of Planning & Development for the city of Gahanna, OH, Sadicka White developed five TIF Districts generating over $100 million in investment and resulting in over one million square feet of development. White will show you how good Physical Design & Walkability can create a true sense of place that energizes urban redevelopment.
	Ernesto Sirolli, PhD Founder & CEO Sirolli Institute Entrepreneurship	Empower. In two South Dakota counties, a Sirolli Enterprise Facilitation group helped create 58 new businesses, expanded 21 others and created or retained more than 300 jobs in a single decade. Ernesto Sirolli will show you how to nurture the spark of creative Entrepreneurship in your own community.

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