Events, conferences & seminars
on best practise local governance
Edited by Guy Kervella

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City Mayors’ local government events pages list and review conferences, conventions and seminars best practise local governance including relations between local and central government.

EVENTS ON THIS PAGE
May 2008
Gallup Learn@Lunch:
Ceci n'est pas Bruxelles: Facts and Perceptions of Brussels
Event: Gallup Europe is pleased to invite you to a Learn@Lunch on the use of state-of-the-art measurement-based policy tools and the Gallup Soul of the City programme. This event will look at how such programmes can help local authorities, regional actors and interested stakeholders to foster economic development and multiculturalism and bring more satisfaction to a city's residents.

Ceci n'est pas Bruxelles
Facts and Perceptions of Brussels
by Robert Manchin, Chairman and Managing Director of Gallup Europe
Brussels is the EU's administrative centre and one of Europe's most cosmopolitan capitals. But are its citizens satisfied with its quality of life?
And just as rivalry exists between Paris and London, isn't Brussels competing with other cities (Dublin, Munich, Vienna, Geneva and Madrid) or is this capital really unique?
Using its Soul of the City programme and measurement-based polling results, Gallup will assess the desirability of Brussels compared to its rivals and aim to answer the following questions:
• How can European cities, and especially Brussels, build up on the necessary emotional capital in order to keep and attract key workers?
• What are the loyalty and residents' satisfaction drivers?
• Do young and well-educated 'creatives' see cities differently?
• How does Brussels compare with other European cities?

Data from Gallup surveys and the Gallup Soul of the City programme will be presented, to be followed by a Q&A session. A buffet lunch will be available for participants.
The Gallup Soul of the City programme allows cities to measure and track the political, economic and social well-being of a city based upon residents' opinions on its performance in providing positive living and working environments. The goal is to help each city foster economic development and multiculturalism and learn how to better satisfy residents.
Date: 14 May 2008, 12.15 - 14.00
Location: Gallup House, 70 Ave. Michel-Ange, 1000 Brussels
Organiser: Gallup Europe
Contact: Aureien Renard
Telephone: +32 2 734 54 18
Email: aurelien_renard@gallup-europe.be
Internet: http://www.gallup-europe.be/projects/soul.htm

Reforming Transport Governance in England's sub-regions and city regions
Event: The Local Transport Bill gives local and passenger transport authorities in England the power to create new governance structures for transport delivery across sub-regions and city regions. This includes the ability to set up integrated transport authorities. Many authorities are already reviewing their transport governance arrangements in anticipation of the powers being enacted. Ministers say they want to give authorities the flexibility to choose the new governance model that best suits their needs, so the precise powers granted to any area will be set out in secondary legislation.This conference will provide a focus for discussion of these issues and offer an insight into the most appropriate way forward for local authorities across England.
Date: 20 May 2008
Location: London
Organiser: Landor Conferences
Contact: Priya Hirani
Telephone: + 44 (0) 845 270 7965
Email: conferences@landor.co.uk
Internet: www.landorconferences.co.uk

3rd Innovation Conference Munich
Event: This conference is a follow up event to the conferences held in s‚Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, 2007, and Stockholm, Sweden, 2006. The aim of this series of conferences is to foster innovation in the participating regions and to improve regional innovation policies by collaborating and sharing knowledge and experience throughout the regions.

The over 100 participants of the Innovation Society Conferences represent an impressive number of European Metropolitan Regions ˆ all of them leading economic and innovative centers in the European Union or, at least, significant economic centers in their home countries. The regions are the very locations where innovation takes place, they are the base of the competitiveness of the European Economy.

Based on the results of its predecessors, the Innovation Conference 2008 will focus on the concrete experience in the regions. The key note speeches will address the functional role of City-Regions in the innovation process, analyse the success and failure of the different innovation strategies and will try to give an answer to what is needed in the regions to make Europe more competitive.

Together with our regional and European Partners we developed four thematic workshops and one project-oriented workshop.

A. Strategies of Knowledge Regions: Attracting Talents and Mobilizing Competences
Overview on strategies of companies to attract talents and how public entities can support such strategies. Knowledge events and public awareness strategies.
Responsible Region: Munich Metropolitan Region
Contributions from: Munich, Manchester, Vienna, Barcelona

B. Fostering Innovative Products ˆ public procurement and lead markets
Overview on best practices what cities / regions can do to support the creation of lead markets and to facilitate the market entry for innovative products of regional companies.
Responsible Region: Budapest
Contributions from: Helsinki, Grand Lyon, European Commission

C. Innovation collaboration for future growth platforms
To further the understanding of how specialization and collaboration across businesses and regions can further both better exploitation of proven business models and exploration of new business models that contribute to sustainability in cities and regions.
Responsible Region: Stockholm
Contributions from: Munich, Eindhoven Open Innovation

D. Cross border regional Innovation
What can cities / regions do to make better use of the regional endogenous potential by facilitating cross boarder cooperation.
Responsible Region: Oresund Scientific Region
Contributions from: Rosenheim-Salzburg-Kufstein, Eindhoven-Leuven-Aachen, Stockholm and the Baltic Sea

E. Co-operation and projects
Innovation projects of the partner regions will be presented.
Possibility to search projects partners and exchange ideas.
Responsible Region: Noord-Brabant

Date: 29 / 30 May 2008
Location: Munich, Germany
Organiser: City of Munich, Department of Labour and Economic Development
Contact: Dr. Raymond Saller
Telephone: 0049 89 233 213 32
Email: raymond.saller@muenchen.de
Internet: www.muenchen.de/wirtschaft

June 2008
World Cities Summit 2008
Event: World Cities Summit is a premier international conference series on effective public governance and sustainable development of cities.  The inaugural event in 2008 will focus on the challenges of developing cities that are both liveable and vibrant.  It will cover issues related to excellent urban infrastructure, clean environment, good quality of life and economic competitiveness. The conference will feature thought leaders and distinguished practitioners who will share valuable insights and practical experiences. Delegates will include city mayors, top government officials, senior officials from international organisations, academics and business leaders. The event will be held at the same time as the Singapore International Water Week 2008.
Date: 23 - 25 June 2008
Location: Singapore
Organiser: Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the Civil Service College
Contact: Lloyd TAN
Telephone: +65 6542 8660 Ext 168
Email: info@worldcities.com.sg
Internet: http://www.worldcities.com.sg

July 2008
Training seminar for African Mayors
Event: A seminar aimed at educating African mayors on how to foster good governance and fight corruption.
Date: 14 to 18 July 2008
Location: The Four Point By Sheraton, 99 Erdman Way, Leominster, MA 01453
Organiser: NEHLA'S TRAVEL AND PRODUCTION
Contact: Bridget Nambouh
Telephone: +1 978 342 4600
Email: nambouh@yahoo.com
Internet: Under construction

September 2008
ICMA Annual Conference
Event: Foremost professional development opportunity for individuals with an interest in professional local government management
Date: 21-24 September 2008
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Organiser: International City/County Management Association
Contact: Michele Frisby
Telephone: +1 202/962-3658
Email: mfrisby@icma.org
Internet: http://icma.org/conference2008

Cities of Opportunity
‘The urban promise of upward mobility’
(An EUKN International Conference)
Event: Europe is a city. Some 75 per cent of Europeans live in urban areas. They are responsible for over 80 per cent of all economic activity. Prosperous cities‚ equals a prospering Europe. At the same time, opportunity and prosperity are not equally distributed within the city. Every European urban area contains neighbourhoods, districts, streets that are more or less deprived. Deprived urban areas are often viewed as being problematic and harmful within the urban fabric.
From a more positive point of view, deprived urban areas hold an enormous potential for socio-economic development. The challenge is to harness the potential of deprived urban areas and their inhabitants and offer them opportunities to access the wider society.
The 2008 edition of the European Urban Knowledge Network’s (EUKN) international conference will change the perception of deprived urban areas as an accumulation of problems to a view that is more in line with the actual situation in our cities. The conference will focus on how to harness the potential and energy present in deprived urban areas and on exploring ways in which these areas and their inhabitants can play their part in the creation of comprehensive, well-balanced and vital cities.
Speakers include:
• Patrick Le Galès, Research Director at CNRS and at Sciences Po
• Ella Vogelaar, Minister for Housing, Communities and Integration
• Opstelten, Mayor of Rotterdam
• Dominic Schrijer, Vice-Mayor of Rotterdam
The social programme includes a boat tour on the River Maas and a panoramic conference dinner wioth a view of the Rotterdam skyline.
‘Cities of opportunity ˆ the urban promise of upward mobility’ is organised by the European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN) in co=operation with the City of Rotterdam, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and Nicis Institute. EUKN is a decentralised knowledge network with National Focal Points (NFPs) in 16 EU Member States. Nicis Institute hosts the EUKN Secretariat.
Cost: €200 for two conference days
Early Bird (before 15 July): €150 for two conference days
Date: 22-23 September 2008
Location: City Hall - Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Organiser: European Urban Knowledge Network
Contact: Bart Nijhof
Telephone: +31 70 344 0513
Email: bart.nijhof@nicis.nl
Internet: click

October 2008
9th World Congress of Metropolis
Event: Metropolis is an international association representing cities with over one million people. Hosted by the NSW State Government, the 9th World Congress of Metropolis in 2008 will bring leaders from all over one hundred cities around the world together in a major networking opportunity for international city government and industry representatives. Focusing on the Asian region, particularly the emerging economies of China and India, a range of global issues will be discussed including the impact of climate change on cities, new technologies, funding of infrastructure and city governance.
Date: 22 - 25 October 2008
Location: Sydney
Organiser: NSW Government Department of Planning
Contact: Congress Secretariat
Telephone: +61 2 9254 5000
Email: info@metropoliscongress.com
Internet: www.metropoliscongress2008.com

November 2008
INTA32 World Urban Development Congress
Event: INTA, the International Urban Development Association, is holding its next World Urban Development Congress in Riga, Latvia. The Congress will take advantage of the booming expansion of Riga to address issues of governance of large-scale development projects with particular attention to the different modes of financing and the role of cultural projects in the public acceptance of these large projects.
Date: 2 - 5 November 2008
Location: Riga, Latvia
Organiser: INTA - the International Urban Development Congress
Contact: Line Algoed
Telephone: 0031(0)703244526
Email: intainfo@inta-net.org
Internet: www.inta-aivn.org

Coastal Cities Summit: Values & Vulnerabilities
Event: The International Ocean Institute-USA and the city of St. Petersburg, FL, USA, are hosting a Coastal Cities Summit on 17 to 20 November 2008 to address the complex challenges that coastal city leaders face as populations increase, resources are depleted, and the impacts of climate change are felt. The Coastal Cities Summit intends to bring together coastal city leaders, managers and academicss to discuss environmental, social, economic, and public policy challenges and viable solutions. The 3-day conference will focus on three themes: Climate Change, Risk and Vulnerability as well as Sustainable Development. All sessions are intended to give a long-needed voice to those who are on the front lines taking leadership on climate change, providing implementation and response plans and continuing to focus on protecting citizens from possible extreme events and human-induced degradation.
Date: 17-20 November 2008
Location: St. Petersburg, FL, USA
Organiser: International Ocean Institute - USA
Contact: Mara Hendrix
Telephone: +1-727-873-4745
Email: mara@ioiusa.usf.edu
Internet: www.coastalcities.org