British Columbia is moving rapidly onto the international stage – as Canada’s gateway to the Asia-Pacific, host province of the 2010 Games, and with a booming commodities sector, BC is attracting global attention. BC communities have unprecedented opportunities to capitalize on the trends that this interest brings, but must also be prepared for the pitfalls. This conference will discuss what economic development professionals, Community Futures organizations, volunteers, and municipal officials need to know to connect their community economies to the international stage and build sustainable economic benefits for the long-term.

The conference is being held in Vancouver at the Westin Bayshore from April 10 – 12, 2007 and will provide a format to discuss BC’s position on the international stage. The conference plenary sessions, workshops and roundtables are designed to address topics such as marketing and business attraction for communities, business retention and expansion strategies, export development, workforce development, generating opportunities from the 2010 Olympic Games, as well as professional and organizational development.

This conference will be the “must do” event of the year for every economic development leader in British Columbia. It will bring together more than 250 community economic practitioners, volunteers and municipal representative from across BC.

University of Waterloo is having a special seminar for their Economic Development Program immediately following the conference (April 13-14). Click here for detaills.