A Big Economic Development Conference is Coming to DSM USA

Greater Des Moines (DSM) is getting ready to host more than 160 economic development professionals from across the Midwest and beyond for the 2018 Best Practices Conference presented by Professional Developers of Iowa and the Mid-America Economic Development Council (EDC).

DSM Hosting

We’re excited to welcome Mid-America EDC to DSM. It is an organization of economic development professionals from 12 states — a region equivalent to the sixth largest economy in the world. Combined, the regional area also produces 40 percent of the nation's food supply (according to USDA) and there are more than 6,800 food processing and manufacturing establishments in the region.

The conference is being held May 1-3 at the brand-new Hilton Des Moines Downtown hotel. It’s a great opportunity for economic development professionals to experience DSM’s growth and momentum firsthand.

Conference Highlights

Among the sessions on the agenda is one on Downtown DSM’s resurgence through its public and private capital investments, employment and residential growth. Downtown DSM is experiencing unprecedented growth. At last count there are more than 40 development projects that have recently been completed or are currently in the works.

Along with conference opening remarks by Partnership CEO Jay Byers, other high impact sessions on the agenda include creative and effective marketing strategies, workforce housing, and entrepreneurship and innovation, to name a few. The latter will feature some of the region’s top players in the startup ecosystem including Brian Hemesath with the Global Insurance Accelerator, Megan Vollstedt with the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator and Mike Colwell with The Partnership. The entire agenda is listed on Mid-America EDC’s website.

What makes this conference unique is on the second day, conference attendees will join 400-500 professionals and volunteers at the Iowa SMART Economic Development Conference. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg are slated to provide a special message to attendees. 

The conference is recognized by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and counts toward recertification of Certified Economic Developers (CEcD).

Interested in joining us? Registration is available at midamericaedc.org!  

Greater Des Moines (DSM) has one of the best business climates in the country. The region is nationally recognized for having a talented and educated workforce, a cost of doing business 15 percent below the national average, a low cost of living and an exceptional quality of life.