Above: Adam Phillips Attends the 2021 International Economic Development Council Confernce in Nashville, TN
For the first time since the start of the pandemic, HADCO staff has attended tradeshow and conference events outside of the state, to restart its in-person marketing and promotion efforts for the region. HADCO traveled to four domestic tradeshow, economic development marketing and professional development conference events in the late summer and fall of 2021.
August 15-17, David Lieving, President, attended the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida. SEDC is a 990-member economic development non-profit organization focused on marketing the region for investment and promoting the economic development profession. The three-day annual conference event hosted a number of speakers and networking opportunities, for what was that organization’s 75th anniversary event. Since 1946, SEDC has hosted its annual conference in a member state providing networking and professional development opportunities to its members. This year’s conference touched heavily on the themes of economic resiliency, preparedness and flexibility in meeting post-pandemic challenges.
October 3-6, Adam Phillips, Business Development Specialist, attended the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. IEDC is the premier professional organization for economic developers. The annual conference event is the largest domestic conference for economic development professionals in the United States. 2021’s conference in Nashville played host to more than 1,200 attendees, boasted more than 150 speakers and presented more than 80 individual topic sessions. The conference also hosted extensive community tours and networking events, and featured key note addresses from Fred Smith, CEO of Fed EX, Governor Bill Lee, and Senator Bob Corker. The event focused mainly on the themes of tourism development, tech & innovation, transportation and arts & culture. Phillips represented HADCO at the annual meeting of AEDOs, Accredited Economic Development Organizations. HADCO is the oldest active AEDO anywhere in the country. Adam Phillips has been a member of IEDC for nearly six years and is on track to become a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) through the organization in 2022.
October 12-14, Dave Lieving, along with members of the Huntington Tri-State (HTS) Airport Authority, and representatives from RCBI Aero and Marshall University’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program, attended the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention & Exhibition, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The annual convention is the most significant event for the business aviation industry, bringing together business leaders, owners, operators, government officials, manufacturers and corporate aviation department personnel. Business aviation is the use of any “general aviation” aircraft for a business purpose. General aviation includes any flights that are not conducted by the military or are a scheduled flight through a major commercial airline. The business aviation community consists of companies of all sizes, however the vast majority, 97% in fact, are small to medium size businesses covering a diverse mix of industries utilizing the services of the nation’s 5,000 public-use airports. The 2021 Convention and Exhibition featured 50+ educational sessions, 28 featured exhibiting companies, and countless networking opportunities with convention attendees.
November 16-17, Dave Lieving is attending an SEDC-sponsored Meet the Consultants event in Atlanta. This event gives our organization the opportunity to meet with 18, Atlanta-based professional site selection consultants. Site selectors are at the forefront of many of the largest corporate investments each year. These are the consultants that represent the Fortune 1000 companies as they seek to establish new facilities, offices and headquarters in communities around the U.S.
Through participation in these conference, conventions and marketing events, HADCO utilizes many opportunities to promote the region’s diverse industry mix, quality workforce, developable sites, technical assistance programs and investment incentives. In 2022, HADCO expects to reinstate its robust marketing program, with a full complement of trade shows, foreign direct investment trips and direct corporate visits.
For more information on HADCO’s marketing program, please visit the organization’s website, www.hadco.org.