SC Rural Summit Scheduled for March 5-6 in North Charleston
Contact:
Rose Dangerfield
803.737.0402
Date:
01/11/2007
Conference to focus on community development for a changing world
Columbia, SC - The South Carolina Department of Commerce has scheduled the 17th annual South Carolina Rural Summit for March 5-6 at the Embassy Suites Hotel/Airport Convention Center in North Charleston.
This year’s conference will focus on how smaller communities can attract investment and create new jobs in today’s increasingly global economy. Featured speakers from Australia and Ireland will share their insights on why some communities in their countries thrive while others struggle to survive.
“South Carolina has experienced back-to-back record setting years for new jobs and capital investment in our rural communities, and this Summit provides the opportunity for discussion, training and the exchange of new ideas that will lead to even more of this success in the future,” said Secretary of Commerce Joe Taylor. “The Community and Rural Development Division makes the Rural Summit one of the most dynamic educational economic development events in our state, and we look forward to another strong turnout from our rural community leaders.”
Some of the presentations on this year’s agenda include:
• “Getting the Tills Ringing in Rural Communities,” with Peter Kenyon, social entrepreneur and Founder and Director of the Bank of I.D.E.A.S., who has worked with over 1000 communities throughout Australia and around the world.
• “Developing Rural Tourism for Economic Development and Job Creation,” with Michael MacNulty, Executive Chairman of Tourism Development International, a Dublin-based consultancy firm.
• “When Hollywood Comes to South Carolina,” with film producer Peter Wentworth, who has made a number of films in South Carolina.
• “Enhancing Your Rural Downtown’s Sense of Place,” with Kent Robertson, exploring the link between sense of place and economic development.
Additional breakout sessions will focus on how communities can get their workforces ready for new business development opportunities and on economic development possibilities stemming from the influx of affluent retirees into South Carolina’s rural communities.
You can find more information at www.sccommerce.com/scrs2007.