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Iowa Great Places Celebration set for Oct. 11
October
is a big month for Iowa Great Places! The Great Places Citizen Advisory Board
will travel across the state the last two weeks of September for presentations
in 74 places that made offers to be considered one of the three pilot Great Places
this year. The board will meet October 3 to make its pilot selections and the
pilot Great Places will be announced October 11 at the Iowa Great Places Conference
in Iowa City.
The offers follow a summer of coaching — trained coaches from throughout state government worked with the 146 places that submitted invitations to be part of the Great Places process. Many of those places decided to collaborate with other places in making offers or decided to wait until next year to make offers, spending a little more time working on their place visions and plans.
All places have been invited to come together to celebrate the process and
learn more from each 
other
and from experts at the Iowa Great Places Conference at Hancher Auditorium and
the Levitt Center on the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City on October 11.
The theme of the conference is “Visions in Focus.” The three pilot
Great Places will be introduced, and Richard Florida, acclaimed author of The
Rise of the Creative Class, will deliver the keynote address.
The conference schedule is as follows:
1 to 5 p.m. – Three workshops on topics identified through the Great Places coaching process, including how to market what’s great about your place
5 p.m. – Creative Community Showcase, entertainment and informal dinner
6:30 p.m. – Great Places announcement and celebration; audience drum ensemble and Richard Florida keynote address
9 p.m. – Creative Community Showcase and Richard Florida book signing
Also participating will be Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Director Anita Walker and Governor Thomas Vilsack (invited).
The conference is free and open to the public, but reservations are required.
R.S.V.P. at www.iowagreatplaces.gov.
For more information about the conference, including lodging and transportation
details, visit www.iowagreatplaces.gov
or call (515) 281-3223.
