Innovation Zone Meeting 20060526

Return to Meeting Notes and Next Steps

Mark Nead Mark Zust Chad Garnes Jeff Friedman Alex Michaels Betsey Merkel Susan Altshuler Ed Morrison

Elements of Innovation Zones: 1) Need privately led and publically funded; privately lead network that focuses on business development business supported; not government... 2) Some physical development; what is our theory of change for development; connectivity?; mixed use? = physical master plan (MidTown's role) 3) Every innovation zone needs career pathways = fueled by what is the ... 4) An effective branding strategy 5) Collaborative activities need to have more connections for a higher probability for change

Ed worked on Capital Hill: glassed in building; create the feeling of a different experience. What can we produce in Midtown that others from across the country will want to come to and visit? Is this an Innovation Cafe? Incubator? Can we create a national lab here in Midtown? Examples of new leaders: Hunter Morrison Ernesto - Charleston Digital Corridor http://www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com

Jim Roberts jroberts@awnc.org Executive Director Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council Blue Ridge Angel Investors Network North Carolina Technology Association: http://nc-tech.org/news/press-05-09-06.asp

What about hosting an Open Source Economic Development Conference in the Fall 06' ? Ed good at doing presentations, figures out a story line Jim Gilmore - experiential economy

I-Open has a simple theory of change: Create the networks to convert the brainpower to wealth....

First Advantage: networks can pop up anywhere MidTown should guide the physical development, the interconnectivity, create the cool places

Second Advantage: speed people need to understand that thngs just need to start moving Here is a metric we can measure: every child can read by the third grade metrics are absent - in the traditional report Indiana workshop Scenario: start with a state of the art logisitics development: what are the financial/logistics/educational implications?

What is the opportunity? How well are we prepared? What are the potential innovations? What are the next steps?

...Facilitators at every table connect it / collect it Hunter believer Identify some things to accomplish, ie., digital projects Midtown can collaborate with Purdue University Ernesto... Jay, from KY.... Leverage a national network Focus on digital stuff Meet with Bob Brown, Planning Director, City Cleveland

Next Steps: Plan a one-pager Identify 5 things to do Leading to October ask Bob to come here Business School connections