Fall 2021 Conference 

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Request For Proposals: Conference Sessions

Session Submission Deadline: May 28, 2021

CONFERENCE INFORMATION

Dates: Sept 29th – Oct 1st
Location: Duluth, MN
Venue: Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC)

COVID-19

The EDAM Board of Directors is hopeful that the 2021 Fall Conference will be able to be held in person.  However, the Board continues to monitor Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance as well as guidance of the State of Minnesota and City of Duluth officials as it relates to COVID-19 and best practices to promote health and safety. Depending on the status of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the EDAM Board of Directors may need to shift the Conference to a virtual platform.  Session submitters should be prepared to provide their session either in person or virtually.  EDAM has previously convened two virtual conferences and anticipates a successful conference in either setting.

SESSION DURATION

It’s expected that proposed sessions would consist of approximately 45 minutes of presentation followed by 15 minutes of open question & answer.  

THEMES

We are seeking sessions that focus on or incorporate the following themes, in addition to other topics presenters think would be of interest to the EDAM audience.  Proposed sessions must be able to be presented either in-person or virtually (webinar format).
  • Real estate realities post-COVID – Commercial, office, retail, and housing sectors
  • Federal CARES and state responses: Programs and assistance that mattered most
  • Business roundtable – Discussion from businesses on the COVID-19 pandemic's impacts both negative and positive
  • Resilience and adjustment as economic strategy
  • Regional and local economies post-COVID: What matters for economic competitiveness?
  • Building community through economic development marketing and attraction
  • Strategies for advancing equity, economic mobility, and inclusive prosperity
  • Recreation as driver for economic development
  • Economic development ethics
  • Real estate development and re-use
  • Entrepreneurial and small business development strategies
  • Innovative efforts for filling vacant storefronts
  • Out of the box ideas – what are we missing? We want to hear from you!