The theme of the 13^th ARS Regional Stewardship Forum, ?Creating Competitive Communities,? struck a chord with the more than 130 regional practitioners who attended the conference in Chicago from May 3-5.  Attendees represented a broad array of practitioners ranging from local and federal government to non-profit advocacy organizations, regional economic development partnerships, and industry trade associations from fields as diverse as higher education and homebuilding.

Every single respondent to the post-Forum evaluation said the conference provided valuable lessons for them to take back to their own regions and offered excellent opportunities for networking.  Lessons learned cited by attendees included:

• The importance of thinking and acting systemically to forge common visions among disparate groups
  
• The power of asset-mapping as a tool to evaluate cultural and community assets
  
• The concept of mega-regions and the importance of addressing issues beyond a specific mission
  
• The understanding that ?there are 1,000 flavors of regionalism?
  
• The knowledge that ?I am not alone in working hard towards regional collaboration?
  

The discussion that resonated deepest was a panel overview on regional competitiveness, moderated by Randall Kempner of the Council on Competitiveness and featuring Ted Abernathy from North Carolina?s Research Triangle Partnership, Russell Hancock from Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and Carol Conway of the Clearinghouse on State & Regional International Policy in Chapel Hill.  One attendee called this session, in which Abernathy shared the Research Triangle?s five strategies to ?win the job wars of the future,? as ?the best I?ve ever attended in at least five forums.?

The highest rated concurrent session was ?Making Place Matter,? which examined the role of public colleges and universities in making regions more competitive.  ARS and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities have worked for the past two years to develop new approaches for public colleges and universities to serve as catalysts for regional community, business and academic initiatives.  This panel was moderated by Louisville, Kentucky Deputy Mayor and ARS Board Member Joan Riehm, and included Robin Tricoli of Cal State-Fresno, Dr. Sam Cordes of the Center for Regional Development at Purdue University , and Rod Howe at the University Economic Development Center at Cornell University . Howe emphasized that universities can play a role in collaborating to develop strengths in emerging industries, supporting workforce development, and developing programs that prioritize regional firms in the transfer of intellectual capital.

Other sessions that attendees found especially valuable included a panel discussion on an new research effort by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation on how regions can be resilient in the face of economic and demographic change, Doug Henton and John Melville ?s ?diagnostic assessment? of regional competitiveness session, and the sharing of ARS?s draft ?strategic roadmap? for implementing regional stewardship around the nation.

More than 90% of respondents said the Forum met their expectations, and 70% plan on attending the next Forum in Fort Lauderdale , Florida from November 16-17.  For more information about the next ARS Regional Forum, follow updates on www.regionalstewadship.org and in future e-newsletters.