2009
Canvas Workshop

Richmond, VA

• Overview
• Registration
• Schedule
• Speakers
• Sponsors
• Media Coverage

1. Strategic recruitment of international business. Richmond actively, and successfully, recruits international businesses to its region, and heavily markets their location, port, airport, and foreign trade zone (FTZ)-key assets that the Capital Region can also boast. Richmond is doing particularly well in this area. How and why? Are there things we could be doing to better leverage our own assets in the global marketplace?
2. Education. The education system in Richmond has made tremendous strides in recent years. From the expansion and rise of Virginia Commonwealth University to the much improved test scores of public elementary and high school students in the urban core, exciting things are happening. While the area still battles many of the same challenges we have here at home in the Capital Region, innovative approaches and strong leadership are credited with their successes. This may be an ideal opportunity to "unlearn" the old and "learn" something new as we think about opportunities for our own institutions.
3. Regional cooperation. From previous Canvas trips we've learned that regional cooperation is necessary for competing nationally and globally. The Richmond region faces unique challenges in this area, as cities and counties are independent of one another-with separate governments and public school systems. Despite this obstacle, the area has made tremendous strides toward regionalism as organizations like the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Richmond Partnership, and the Greater Richmond Convention Center Authority have stepped up and pulled together what might otherwise be a highly fragmented area.
4. Riverfront development/urban restoration. Not long ago, large areas of Richmond's downtown and riverfront were blighted and crime was a major issue. Today, redevelopment efforts are headed up by Venture Richmond, an organization created by a merger of the area's non-profit development and marketing organizations. The city now boasts a growing entertainment district- Historic Shockoe Slip, the new Canal Walk, and increasing downtown residential opportunities as historic buildings and warehouses are converted into unique living spaces. While there is still much work to be done, the progress made thus far is truly remarkable, presenting an incredible learning opportunity for Baton Rouge.
5. Community identity. Just as Virginia may be for lovers; Richmond is "easy to love." The city is home to a state capitol designed by Thomas Jefferson and the first canal system in the United States. The greater region is embedded in colonial and civil war history and was the former home of Pocahontas. The area's history has defined the community's identity: Richmond knows who it is. There have been numerous efforts in the Baton Rouge area to brand a community identity, but to this point, these efforts have met with limited success. What lessons can we learn from Richmond about coordinating these identity efforts and marketing our area as a community?