More than 250 young professionals from across the country will descend on downtown Cincinnati this fall during the 2009 Next Leaders Summit. And organizers are planning to get participants out into the city as part of the event.
The Next Leaders Summit, formerly the YP Summit, was founded in 2004 by Young Professionals of Milwaukee (now FUEL Milwaukee). The first one attracted about 50 people, then grew to around 100 in 2005. The following year, Next Generation Consulting in Madison, Wis., took over the event, which was held in the company's home-base city. The summit also has been in Louisville, Ky. and Cocoa Beach, Fla.
The Mayor's Young Professionals Kitchen Cabinet is hosting the Cincinnati event; other summit partners include Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber – HYPE, CincyUpdate.com, Downtown Cincinnati, Inc., Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, LEGACY and United Way Emerging Leaders Society.
The Next Leaders Summit is billed as "the only forum in the world committed to developing the skills and capacity of our future leaders - and unleashing the power of the next generation to build better cities and workplaces." The ultimate aim is to create an atmosphere in cities that attract and keep the young talent so vital to their continued vibrancy.
"Different cities have different issues, and basically this is an opportunity to hear other cities best practices," said Clara Rice, former YPKC president and a forum organizer.
Among the reasons Cincinnati was chosen for the summit is its walkability, its urban density and its location (the city is within driving distance of 60 percent of the U.S. population). This all fits in the YP notion that workers look for a great place to live, not just a great place to work.
"People in our generation don’t choose first a place to work. They look for a place to live, and then look at the job," Rice said.
The summit will be based at the Westin Hotel downtown, but plans are to get YPs out into the city, including a dinner on the Purple People Bridge connecting the city and Newport on the Levee, as well as some events in Over-the-Rhine’s emerging Gateway Quarter. There will be time for some partying, too, with the city's Oktoberfest celebration set for that same weekend.
Topics will include: "Knock 'Em Dead: How to Craft and Deliver Winning Presentations," "Positioning your YPO in the Start-Up Years," "Using Social Media to Motivate and Engage," and "Creating the Bridge Between YP's and Boards." There will be a mix of speakers, panel discussions and break out groups. Among the speakers is Jake Greene, author of Whoa, My Boss Is Naked! A Career Book for People Who Would Never Be Caught Dead Reading a Career Book. His topic will be "Personal Positioning for the Pop Culture Generation." You can find the entire schedule here.
The Next Leaders Summit will be Sept. 17-19. Registration is $229, but Cincinnatians get a $50 discount with the registration code cincypo.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Clara Rice, YPKC
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