DAY ONE

8:30 - 9:00 am

Registration

9:00 - 10:00 am

Overview of Economic Development Marketing
Marketing is a tool that helps promote economic growth and development in a community. This session will highlight the economic developer's role in developing and implementing a marketing plan, and the different targets of economic development marketing.

10:00 - 11:00 am

Understanding the Product/Understanding the Market
This session will cover the methods used to assess the local economic climate as well as the local market for economic activity. Included in this presentation will be a discussion on how to obtain information for critical analysis of the local economy and characteristics. This session will also discuss some specific approaches for targeting businesses within your community.

11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Developing the Marketing Plan Target
All communities market themselves whether or not they have developed a marketing plan. A marketing plan helps to ensure that you are making a positive impact and are making effective use of available resources, staff and financial capabilities. It provides a guide for all marketing activities and is an important part of an overall economic development strategy. This interactive session will address how to set realistic goals and objectives, to develop strategies that support your marketing goals, and to work with other organizations in supporting your marketing objectives.

12:15 - 1:15 pm

Lunch on your own

1:15 - 2:45 pm

Online Economic Development Fundamentals
Following up on the previous session, this discussion is on fundamentals and will cover e-government, the past and future of the Internet, tourism and economic development web sites. Case studies and activities will include current examples of quality and deficient web sites.

3:00 - 4:30 pm

Marketing Using the Web
The web is a unique vehicle for marketing and communication. Do you know what information and tools your economic development organization needs to have on its Web site in order to market effectively? Find out about the latest technologies, such as Web-based geographic information systems, and how they can help your community compete. Topics will include advanced Internet strategies to pursue business attraction, promote local companies, enhance workforce development, increase tourism and provide other economic development online services.

DAY TWO

9:00 - 10:00 am

Marketing Specific Sites for Development
One of the most misunderstood aspects of the attraction process is working to market specific sites for development. This session will provide you with an understanding as to how to communicate with the site selector executives and developers by being able to respond better to their requests and understand what they are truly looking for.

10:15 - 11:15 am

What's Hot and What's Not
This session examines past and current economic development marketing strategies. Many economic development marketing strategies that used to work are no longer effective. Now there are marketing strategies you may have never even heard of that are producing the best results. Learn what's hot and what's not so you don't waste time and money on ineffective strategies.

11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Internal Marketing: Generating Community-Wide Involvement
Marketing is not only a tool for recruiting new businesses. A successful marketing effort places equal emphasis on internal marketing – generating enthusiasm and participation from the community in economic development efforts. This session will offer internal marketing techniques, from engaging "industry champions" to generating positive press from local media.

12:15 - 1:15 pm

Lunch on your own

1:15 - 2:30 pm

Case Study: Marketing for Success
First, you must research and understand your market. Then, you implement your marketing plan. Now that you have your marketing plan in place with your targets identified, how do you measure the success of your program? This session will give participants an in-depth look into a marketing and attraction program that was undertaken recently. Accountability and results are important to the success of any project, especially marketing, in this increasingly tight economy.

2:45 - 3:45 pm

Branding, Engaging Agencies and Talent and Wrap-up
This session examines "branding," marketing messages, leveraging your resources, new approaches to developing messages, and tag lines that can describe your community. You'll learn to develop the image you want to present; how to relay your message in quick sound bites to create interest; attract the attention of the news media; and deal with public perception issues. It also includes "how to" engage agencies, talent, and outsource the right portions of your efforts.

3:45 - 4:15 pm

Q & A

4:15 - 4:30 pm

Wrap-up and Certificates

* Agenda subject to change

**PLEASE NOTE: In order to receive full IEDC certification credit for this course and a certificate indicating course completion, participants must attend the entire course and stay through the final session on the last day. Please make travel plans accordingly.**