| Press Release |
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| September 7, 2006 |
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Oregon and Washington Governors announce major economic conference
Portland to host Global Competitiveness Conference, highlighting region’s strengths
Salem, Oregon—Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and Washington Governor Chris Gregoire jointly announced today that The Competitive Institute (TCI) has selected Portland as the site of its October 2007 Global Conference on Competitiveness.
Barcelona-based TCI is a not-for-profit alliance of industry cluster practitioners. TCI's mission is to improve living standards and the local competitiveness of regions throughout the world, by fostering cluster-based development initiatives. (www.competitiveness.org)
The five-day conference, co-chaired by the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department and the Portland Development Commission, will include an academic summit, industry cluster tours, keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and a gala dinner to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of TCI. Five hundred attendees from around the world are estimated to participate in the conference.
According to Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, the conference theme of "Collaboration, Innovation, and Sustainability" will highlight Oregon’s strengths. "These are the foundations of our competitiveness strategy," said the Governor. "We view the TCI conference as a way to showcase our successes, examine our policies, and gain insight from experts around the world."
Washington Governor Chris Gregoire also expressed her enthusiasm that the 2007 Conference will take a regional look at competitiveness.
"Global competitiveness has been a priority of my administration," said Governor Gregoire. "I’ve always believed that Washington could be considered a small country. The same could be said for the entire Northwest Region."
TCI President Lars Eklund of Sweden said there were several aspects of Oregon’s proposal that impressed the site selection committee. "The region's clear commitment to using competitiveness principles to guide economic development, its willingness to engage TCI's global community of practitioners in a 'give and take' with a genuine exchange of knowledge, and its demonstration of regional thinking by integrating Washington State into the planning."
Portland Mayor Tom Potter said he looked forward to the opportunity to showcase Portland to the world. "Portland has a strong target industry program focused on providing support to existing clusters such as activewear, sustainability, and software as well as emerging clusters such as bioscience and open source technology. I am pleased that the international community recognizes Portland as a leader in this area."
The conference has not been held in the United States since Tucson hosted in 2001. The 2005 site was Hong Kong and the 2006 the conference will be in Lyon, France. While TCI holds several regional conferences per year, the international Annual Conference is the largest and most important, attracting cluster practitioners, consultants, academics, and government representatives dedicated to advancing competitiveness through cluster-based development initiatives.
Media Contacts:
Lonn Hoklin: 503.378.6169
Charlie Burr: 503.378.6496
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