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Economic Development Week

Join EDCC & Downtown Colorado Inc. as we celebrate Colorado’s
Economic Development ecosystem & partners! 

National Economic Development Week, ##EconDevWeek22, was created by the International Economic Development Council in 2016 in order to increase awareness of local programs and services that create jobs, advance career development opportunities and increase quality of life among our communities.

The Economic Development Council of Colorado (EDCC) and Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI) are are once again teaming up in 2022, to bring an award winning week-long celebration of educational webinars and social media campaign highlighting Colorado’s unique Economic Development ecosystem.

We invite our economic development professionals and stakeholders along with their elected officials, board members, new professionals to the industry, and anyone who just wants to know more about how Economic Development is done in Colorado.

Resources

Colorado-specific Campaign Toolkit
Sponsor Benefit Package
Promotional Flyer for Colorado's Campaign
Governor's Proclamation
Visit IEDC for more information

Take a look at our award winning 2021 schedule of events, webinars, on ideas to create your local celebration. 2022 events will be updated soon. Keep checking back as we develop this year’s concept and celebrations.

Join the celebration by using the following social media tags & hashtag

##EconDevWeek22

@EDCofCO  @downtowncolo

@iedctweets

Don’t have a Social Media presence? No Problem! Send us your story and we will push it out on your behalf. Submissions due by May 1 to kim.woodworth@edcconline.org

Webinar Schedule

 

Monday 5.10.21

DAY 1: Colorado Campaign Kick-off – “Understanding Economic Development Players in Colorado”

  • Social Media Campaign: We ask all our EDO stakeholders to celebrate your economic development support team or collaborations within your community. #COEconomicVitality
  • Webinar | 9-10 a.m. Understanding Economic Development Players in Colorado
    Webinar Description: What does it take to make a deal, you ask? Well, it takes the work of a lot of people in all different types of fields, we say. If a company is expanding, it looks for the right kind of building, infrastructure, supply-chain, and talent among many other components. An economic developer has to reach into his/her tool bag and reach out to a wide array of people to aid in their exploration. Then there’s the incentives and programs to help support the business while it gets established, which takes a number of other entities. In this one-hour presentation, we will expose the movers and shakers in the industry and the obscure facts about them that will even stump our most experienced practitioners!We invite our Economic Development professionals and stakeholders along with their elected officials, board members, new professionals to the industry, and anyone who just wants to know more about how Economic Development is done in Colorado.
    Program Partners & Content Collaborators:
    • Britta Blodgett, Sr. Communications Strategist, Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC)
    • Glenn Plagens, Director of Business Support and Rural Prosperity, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)
    • Traci Stoffel, Main Street Specialist, Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA)
    • Trent Thompson, Economic Development Representative for Colorado and Utah, Economic Development Administration (EDA)
    • USDA Representative

Wednesday 5.12.21

DAY 3: “Cultivating a Vibrant Economy”

  • Community Celebration Social Media Campaign: Share the asset(s) that started your economic development program and how has it changed over the years?
  • Webinar | 9-10 a.m. Cultivating a Vibrant Economy
    Webinar Description: Economic Development is often plagued with the notion that Development = Growth. It can also mean evolution and maturation. The opposite of development is deterioration and disintegration. If we aren’t focused on the health and vitality of our community then it becomes exposed to threats that can harm it. In this one-hour presentation, we will explore this difficult topic that many of our community’s face. Our goal is to provide clarity and constructive action that will help our communities come back from this recession quickly and vibrantly.
    Speakers:
    • Josh Birks, Economic Health Director, City of Fort Collins
    • Scott Shine, AICP, Planning Manager, City of Durango
    • Robert Smith, Economic Development Director, City of Lakewood
    • Kathy Woods,  Economic Development Director, City of Alamosa

Thursday 5.13.21

DAY 4: “Growing Local”

  • Community Celebration Social Media Campaign: Celebrate the anchor institutions that support your workforce, StartUp Community, and innovation.
  • Webinar | 9-10 a.m. Growing Local Community + Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
    Webinar Description: Who Comes First? The Chicken + Egg | Business Retention + Expansion | Balancing Density + Growth | Amenities and Employer + Employee Attraction| Evolution of Economic Ecosystem Building
    • Brian Corrigan, Creative Placemaking Strategist, the Artistry of Corrigan
    • Delaney Keating, Executive Director, StartUp Colorado
    • Sasha Nelson, Director of Workforce Training & Community Programming at Colorado Northwestern Community College
    • John Wittler, Regional Coordinator, Ogallala Commons

Help support our efforts!

We have several ways you can support this effort! We are seeking sponsors that will contribute to our efforts in spreading the word about economic development and its value and importance. We have put together a sponsor benefits package with various levels of support. Proceeds from the sponsorships will go to program activities for the EDCC and DCI.

 

Goal

Colorado is a diverse state, however, in every region and community we find that change is inevitable. Colorado communities continuously adapt and establish new tools and approaches to manage this change. Global events in recent years have created the space to consider adaptations to traditional approaches to economic development. The goal of this celebration is to highlight these achievements and find new pathways as we climb out of the pandemic-led recession and into economic recovery.

Contest

Highlight the response teams, programs and initiatives that you are working on to keep you community economically viable.

Utilize our social media campaign schedule and examples. Put your unique spin on it!

Incorporate #EDW2022 in all your tweets and tag @EDCofCO, @downtowncolo & @iedctweets so that we can follow you!

Engage Your Elected Officials

#1

We are encouraging all organizations and stakeholders to engage your Elected Officials in the celebration by writing a letter highlighting all the ways your organization has impacted your community and how they can assist with your efforts. Use our sample letter and customize it for your organization.

#2

Invite your Elected Officials and Board Members to the educational webinars. These are great oppotunties to educate them on economic development initiatives and the reality of real-world application.

 

Other ways to ENGAGE your Elected Officials

  • PROCLAIM: its Economic Development Week in your community. Sample resolutions can be found at iedconline.org/edw
  • MEET:  Request an in-person meeting with your elected officials
  • CALL:  Call your elected officials and inform them of the importance of economic development
  • TWEET:  Tag you elected officials in a tweet and incorporate the hashtags #EDW2022  to raise their awareness within your individual community and beyond

Write a letter to the editor for your community’s newspaper.

  • Choose a storytelling approach by using data to emphasize what’s most important.
  • Share a public interest story about a thriving business in your community thanks to a collaboration/your EDO’s support.
  • Formally educate your community on the significant activities of economic development and which ones your organizationspecializes in.
  • Include imagery, testimonials, and graphics to help guide the reader’s eye.

CREATE a Press Release and send it to your local news outlets (press release template)

WRITE a Guest Column for your community’s newspaper (sample ad’s)

  • TELL your Community’s Economic Impact!

    SHARE it on Social Media

    • Be sure to tag us and use the hashtags so that we can follow your campaign. We will help push your campaign to the top!
    • Tag @EDCofCO @downtowncolo & @iedctweets
    • Include hashtag #EconDevWeek22
    • Don’t have a Social Media presence? No problem! Send us your story and we will push it out on your behalf. Send submissions to kim.woodworth@edcconline.org and are due by May 1
  • Show-off your staff, office, and services that you provide
  • Have your executive leadership team or elected official welcome people to the virtual office tour

Create a competition that incorporates our theme for the week “the coming economic recovery, following this global crisis, will be led by economic developers.”

Incorporate the entries into your marketing and printed materials to continue the movement long after Economic Development Week.

Encourage creativity among participants by allowing local buisness to express what the profession means to them.

Program Partners