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Contact: Alan Fogg, afogg@fceda.org,
703-790-0600 (office) or 571-213-5065 (mobile)
Friedman, Florida, Toffler headline creative economy conference in
Fairfax County, Va.
CNN's Sesno, FORTUNE's Fisher to lead panels on October 24-25, 2007
Fairfax County, Virginia USA, October 19, 2007 – Professor Richard Florida, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas L. Friedman and futurist Alvin Toffler will deliver keynote addresses at the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy being organized by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority on October 24-25.
In addition, FORTUNE columnist Anne Fisher will moderate panels on the “Best Companies to Work for” and competing for talent, and CNN’s Frank Sesno will lead a Town Hall discussion about how the ideas presented at the conference can be prioritized, implemented and assessed.
The speech by Florida, author of “The Rise of the Creative Class,” will be “The World Is Spikey.” He predicts that regions are becoming more specialized in economic activity, creating a global battle for talent.
Friedman will expand on topics he presented in his book “The World is Flat.” Friedman will explain how a flattening world will impact countries, companies, communities and individuals and why green is the new red, white and blue.
Toffler, whose works include the seminal “Future Shock,” will present a keynote address that will examine the crucial role that creativity will play in determining what countries, communities and individuals “win” in the global economy.
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.
Participants will take home strategies and tactics on workplace 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
- Boosting creativity in homeland security
- Improving communities and the economy through creative companies
The conference fee is $395. Registration and details are at www.creativeeconomies.org.
Conference sponsors are the Fairfax County government, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, FORTUNE, The Push Group LLC, Siddall, ICMA, Americans for the Arts, SkillSource Group, Potomac Tech Wire, the Washington Business Journal and Tech Journal South.
Fairfax County is host of the conference and 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.” Visit www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org.
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