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Contact: Alan Fogg, afogg@fceda.org,
703-790-0600 (office) or 571-213-5065 (mobile)
Fairfax County, Virginia, to host
first National Conference
on the Creative Economy
Florida, Friedman, Toffler, Allen keynote conference in October
2007
Fairfax County, Virginia USA, May 2,
2007 – 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. Sponsored in part by FORTUNE magazine,
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 (www.creativeeconomies.org)
will feature four compelling 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; Alvin Toffler, author of Future
Shock, The Third Wave and Revolutionary
Wealth; and Admiral Thad Allen, commandant of the U.S. Coast
Guard and head of post-Hurricane Katrina relief efforts on
the Gulf Coast.
In addition, FORTUNE columnist Anne Fisher will speak as well
as moderate a “Best Places to Work” panel.
The 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy will
address topics such as:
- Attracting and retaining the creative class
- Creating a
culture of creativity in the workplace to improve the bottom
line
- Using diversity to promote creativity
- Harnessing the power
of an aging workforce
- Improving communities and the economy
through creative companies
"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 the Fairfax County government, the Fairfax County
Economic Development Authority, FORTUNE magazine, The Push
Group LLC and Siddall. Sponsorship information is available
at www.creativeeconomies.org.
Fairfax County, host of the conference, is an example of
the creative economy: 57 percent of county residents work
in "creative occupations" in information technology,
professional services, education and other fields. Time magazine
this year called Fairfax County "one of the great economic
success stories of our time," and a U.S. Labor Department
report called Fairfax County the private-sector jobs leader
in the Washington area.
Business growth helps Fairfax County, minutes from Washington,
D.C., 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.
The FCEDA maintains offices in Silicon Valley, Bangalore, Frankfurt,
London, Seoul and Tel Aviv.
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