Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti Regional Chamber

On the Horizon: Impact 2009

Mark your calendar. Save the date. Clear your schedule. Do whatever you have to do in order to make yourself available on the morning and early afternoon of Wednesday, September 30, when the Chamber will present Impact 2009, its annual public policy conference, at Kensington Court Ann Arbor.

 

The Impact event planning process is well-underway: estimates are being received, budgets evaluated, contracts signed, sponsorship letters distributed, graphic designs selected, printing and mailing needs assessed, so on and so forth. If the devil truly lies in the details, then that’s where I’m currently embattled.

 

The Impact 2009 planning committee, a committed group of volunteers charged with charting Impact’s course, began meeting in January. Fairly quickly it became clear that the Committee wanted to continue to build upon the previous year’s theme of intergovernmental collaboration while adding additional program content. It also became apparent that there was a strong desire to link with Ann Arbor Region Success (AARS).

 

If you’re unfamiliar with AARS, further information, as well as a comprehensive report entitled “Ann Arbor Region Success Strategy,” can be obtained via annarborregionsuccess.org. In brief, this initiative is a community success strategy – and when AARS says community, it means the Ann Arbor region, the whole of Washtenaw County.

 

AARS aims to ensure smart, successful community growth. It has brought together over 70 community leaders, principally from local business, government, education and non-profit enterprise, to identify the most critical actions to achieve long-term community success.

 

AARS has an informed vision. It has a coordinated strategy. It would now like to engage the community – which is where the Chamber comes in. Linkage of AARS with the Chamber’s Impact affords AARS a platform for community engagement.

 

Our purpose in bringing together leadership, business and community voices is to create alignment on a compelling vision of regional success to ensure business, citizens and institutions in the Ann Arbor region continue to thrive. Priority focus areas will likely include education, government efficiency and effectiveness, marketing, talent and transit.

 

The program will be structured to ensure that Impact attendees: (i) understand current initiatives that are engaging a cross-section of the community; (ii) think strategically and make recommendations on mobilizing community resources to support achievement of specific goals; (iii) share their wisdom on what they believe should be priority focus areas for action; (iv) understand various options for engagement and determine what, if any, role they would like to play in ensuring our region is well-positioned for success; and (v) know their voice has been heard and that they’ve made a difference.

 

And so, as I continue to delve into the minutiae of event planning, I ask that you commit to our community’s future by setting aside a few hours on September 30 to attend Impact 2009. Rest assured that further details are forthcoming.

 

Kyle Mazurek, v.p. of government affairs