A Two-Day Workshop at

Punderson Manor Resort and Conference Center

Punderson State Park, Newbury, Ohio

April 23 – 25, 2008

Welcome to the new world of economic development based on networks. Learn the leadership skills you need to strengthen collaboration in your community and region. Here is an innovative, tested approach to building collaboration for economic and workforce development. Gain the insights, roadmaps and tools you need to develop new ideas and translate them into action. Strategic doing is a new approach to building the civic networks that your community and region need to prosper in the future. 

How you will benefit:

• Understand the strategic importance of guided conversation <!--break-->

• Learn key concepts to translate ideas into action quickly

• Discover the importance of civic networks and how to map them

• Find out how to design a civic "strategic doing" process to move ideas into action

• Learn how to integrate practical metrics into "strategic doing"

• Master a flexible, low cost implementation process that focuses on alignment, accountability, action

plans, and continuous learning

• Understand why "strategic outcomes" and "strategic issue agendas" are replacing "vision" as a guiding

principal for strategy

• Gain the knowledge and analytical skills to diagnose your community’s civic leadership

• Identify specific ways you can contribute to your community’s strategic success

What you'll cover:

• The emergence of networks as an organizing principle for economic development

• The five strategic "systems" that define prosperity for a community or region

• Introduction to social network analysis

• A practical, four step strategic doing process

• Introduction to strategy maps for economic development

• Civic process mapping

• Civic forums as a practical tool to generate and build civic networks and accelerate "open innovation"

Who should attend:

• Economic development professionals focused on new strategies of growth

• Workforce development professionals interested in new collaborations

• Chamber of commerce executives seeking to engage their community in new ways

• Young professionals looking to guide their community

• Leaders of community foundations seeking to adjust their role in economic and workforce development

• College and university faculty and administrators engaged in defining new roles for higher education

• Library professionals interested in understanding the new role of libraries

This workshop is ideal for innovative civic leaders who want to expand their perspectives on economic and workforce development. Anyone who must lead a community or region in developing strategies for economic development and workforce development needs new analytic tools to understand how they can have the most impact.

“Regionalism” and “economic development” have never been greater topics of conversation or higher public policy priorities than today in Greater Cleveland. I-Open has brought substance and form and focus to this imperative community-wide dialog. Diverse ideas and opinions on a myriad of critical subjects are invited to I-Open, dissected by the audience and used to advance our community’s knowledge and momentum in practical and innovative ways.

Paul Oyaski
Director of Economic Development
Cuyahoga County Commission

Workshop Details:

When: April 23 - 25, 2008

April 23: Arrive at 6:00 pm on for a kickoff dinner and networking

April 24: All day workshop and dinner

April 25: One-half day workshop and lunch. Adjourn at 2:00 pm

Where: Punderson Manor Resort and Conference Center Punderson Manor Resort is located in beautiful Geauga County, Ohio, 40 miles east of Cleveland on Route 87 in Newbury, Ohio. Follow this link for driving directions from common points of origin: Driving Directions and Maps

Registration Details:

Conference Fee: $795.00

Includes conference materials, meals and accommodations for 2 nights

Conference Fee (without overnight stay): $620.00

Includes conference materials and meals

Payment Information: RSVP susanaltshuler [at] gmail [dot] com]]" mce_href="#" href="#">Susan Altshuler

Register online at 123 Signup

Send your check to: The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open), Cleveland Midtown Innovation Center, 4415 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115.

For questions, please call Susan Altshuler at 216-577-9957

At the I-Open - Lowe Foundation retreat, I discovered the techniques that will enable my community to become more integrated into the emerging networked society and global economy. The concept of "strategic doing" has now become a central component of every project we undertake - learning how quality action builds trust in the community and beyond. The retreat also allowed me to connect with other leaders across the country, discovering best practices and sharing our story.

John B. Slanina, Publisher, I Will Shout Youngstown, a blog on community, economic development and urban design