Washington, DC – The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has announced that the week of May 8 to May 12 will serve as this year’s Economic Development Week.
Economic Development Week highlights, celebrates and recognizes the contributions and efforts of professional economic developers in creating more economically vibrant, equitable, and resilient communities throughout North America.
IEDC, the largest international professional trade association for economic developers, created Economic Development Week in 2016 to increase awareness for local job-creating programs, advance career development opportunities, and improve the quality of life and livability of communities everywhere.
Going into the seventh year of this initiative, over 450 communities across North America have participated in campaigns across all 50 U.S. states, eight Canadian provinces, and several U.S. territories.
“As local and regional economies evolve, the role of economic developers and development organizations are crucial in energizing, preparing, and promoting local economic growth,” says IEDC President & CEO Nathan Ohle. “The 2023 Economic Development Week will recognize, distinguish, and show appreciation for the innovation and leadership of our community leaders building an equitable, sustainable, resilient, and inclusive future. I hope communities everywhere will join us in celebrating the accomplishments and important work economic developers perform in their communities year-round.”
IEDC’s Economic Development Week Toolkit is now available to help communities prepare for their own events. This toolkit includes:
- Special ways to engage your elected officials
- Press release and proclamation templates
- Social media graphics, stock images and logos
- Electronic and print advertising templates
- City, county, and state resolutions templates
- Social media marketing sample promotional messaging
- Event ideas
- Economic Development Week Excellence in Economic Development Week Awards details
- Championing Economic Development resources
- And much, much more!
IEDC encourages all interested economic developers to visit our website at www.iedconline.org/EDW to learn more and begin planning their 2023 Economic Development Week celebrations.
About the International Economic Development Council
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 4,300 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers typically work for cities, counties, states, public-private partnerships, and chambers of commerce and promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities, by creating, retaining, and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth, and provide a stable tax base. From public to private, rural to urban, and local to international, IEDC’s members are engaged in the full range of economic development experiences. Given the breadth of economic development work, our members are employed in a wide variety of settings including local, state, provincial, and federal governments, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce, universities, and a variety of other institutions. IEDC’s members create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities, and improve the quality of life in their regions.