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Contact: Alan Fogg, afogg@fceda.org,
703-790-0600 (office) or 571-213-5065 (mobile)
Fairfax County to host first National Conference on the Creative Economy
Florida, Friedman, Toffler keynote conference in October 2007
March 12, 2007, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. – Fairfax
County will host the 2007 National Conference on the Creative
Economy, set for October 24-25, 2007, at the Hilton McLean
Tysons Corner Hotel. The conference 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 will feature three acclaimed keynote speakers:
George Mason University 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.”
The 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy (www.creativeeconomies.org)
will address topics such as:
- What is creativity in the workplace?
- What makes a company attractive to the creative workforce?
- What a creative economy is and how it is attained and
sustained.
- How communities can help companies attract and retain
creative talent.
“Old rules governing business location and attraction
no longer apply in the creative economy, and this conference
will be valuable to companies and communities alike,” “Businesses
need the fuel of creative talent to thrive and are looking
for every way possible to attract and retain that talent. At
the same time, communities want to attract high-performing
companies that build local economies,” said Gerald L.
Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic
Development Authority (FCEDA). “The conference will enable
communities and businesses to understand more fully the benefits
of fostering creativity and the means of implementing it.”
“People are the leading economic driver of prosperity,” Florida
said. “Companies will go where they can tap into and
support a quality workforce. To build that workforce, regions
need to think about how they will support the creativity and
innovation of the people who live there."
To date, sponsors of the 2007 National Conference on the
Creative Economy are Fairfax County, the Fairfax County Economic
Development Authority, The Push Group LLC, and Siddall.
Fairfax County is host to the National Conference on the
Creative Economy and is an example of the creative class: 57
percent of county residents work in “creative occupations” in
information technology, professional services, education and
other fields. Business growth helps Fairfax County fund public
services such as a top-ranked public school system and library,
public safety, social services and park systems that improve
the quality of life. Fairfax County offers diverse real estate
opportunities, access to domestic and international markets
through Washington Dulles International Airport, a business
community based on technology and professional services, and
a well-educated workforce.
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority ( www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org) promotes Fairfax County as a business and technology center. In the last 15 years, Fairfax County has emerged as the Washington metropolitan area’s private-sector job leader and is a major hub for regional economic activity, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The FCEDA maintains worldwide marketing offices in Silicon Valley, Bangalore, Frankfurt, London, Seoul and Tel Aviv.
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