Economic Development Nationally and Globally
As part of the daily work of economic development the RAEDC attends and exhibits at trade shows and conferences throughout the year to promote Your Opportunity Region to businesses and organizations as an ideal place for relocation or expansion.
Through these events, the RAEDC cultivates business attraction opportunities that will lead to primary job growth, which in turn will increase the economic well-being of our region.
RAEDC participation increases the awareness of the Rockford Region amongst potential businesses and promotes some of the region’s strengths. These include the ease of access to highways and interstates for logistics and distribution, including the Union Pacific Intermodal Facility in Rochelle. The region has a skilled workforce with a 20 percent higher concentration in manufacturing capabilities than the national average. In addition to those strengths, the region has a strong supply chain for the aerospace, automotive, and advanced manufacturing clusters.
Those qualities, in addition to a lower cost of doing business, a lower cost of living, and a high quality of life truly make the Rockford Region, Your Opportunity Region for many of the connections made during these trade shows or conferences.
If you know of any area organizations, also attending these events contact the RAEDC to provide additional networking or meeting opportunities.
The schedule for the first six-months of 2017 includes:
- Advanced Design and Manufacturing Conference
Cleveland, OH
Wednesday, March 29 – Thursday, March 30
http://admcleveland.com/ - Select USA Investment Summit
Washington DC
Sunday, June 18th – Tuesday, June 20th
selectusa.gov - International Paris Air Show
Paris, France
Monday, June 19 – Sunday, June 22 (open for trade participants from June 19 – 22, open to the public from June 23 – 25)
https://www.siae.fr/en/ - Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA Airventure)
Oshkosh, WI
Monday, July 24 – Sunday, July 30
https://www.eaa.org/en/airventure
