Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Creating a brand for your community is more than a logo or a slogan. It is creating a sense of place.
Establishing that sense of place can begin by exploring options for heritage tourism. As states like Iowa are discovering, building a sense of place creates an opportunity to draw tourists, especially to smaller towns. (This is another example of how the lines between economic development and tourism are blurring.)
But most important, a sense of place is critical for retaining and attracting bright young minds.
Here is a really good article about how some smaller towns in Central Florida are approaching the challenge of branding. Go.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber:
Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Creating a sense of place in Central Florida
