LANSING — Last winter, more than 1,400 representatives from communities across Michigan attended the sold-out Creating Cool conference in Lansing, to examine links between culture and economic development, as well as to define what it is that makes a community “cool.” 

On Thursday, December 9 the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs/Department of History, Arts and Libraries and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth, will hold a follow up conference, Tipping to Cool: Next Steps in Linking Culture, Community and the Economy, to address how to make creative economic development happen. 

“The optimism and energy created at last year’s ‘Creating Cool’ conference was nothing short of inspiring,” said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm.  “Over the last two years, hundreds of community leaders have joined in a critical dialogue about how we can and must build cities and neighborhoods in which people want to live, work and raise their families.  The upcoming ‘Tipping to Cool’ conference is an important next step.”

Like the original conference, Tipping to Cool will bring together cultural, community, economic development and government leaders to take the next steps in revitalizing Michigan’s cities and towns through creative collaborative effort.  In particular, attendees will consider ways that arts and culture can drive economic development and assist government leaders in transforming their communities into places that will attract and retain the creative workers critical to the state’s future economic growth.

The foundation for this conference stems from the principles that keynote speaker, Malcolm Gladwell, identifies in his best-selling book, “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.”   Gladwell will explain how his ideas can be used to stimulate Michigan’s communities and will challenge attendees to implement his ideas to create change within their own communities. 

“The overwhelming success of last year’s conference demonstrated the value arts and cultural organizations bring to community revitalization,” said Lillian Bauder, chair of the conference-planning committee and a member of the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.  “We are delighted to build upon the insights from last year’s conference in an effort to help communities identify additional resources and develop innovative, collaborative solutions to strengthen their communities’ creative bases.”

The event will feature sessions exploring an array of ways in which Michigan communities can employ creative strategies to address pressing challenges.  These sessions will feature speakers drawn from Michigan and beyond who will share best practices, case studies and model experiences.  For example, luncheon speaker Becky Anderson of HandMade in America will tell how she used North Carolina's craft heritage to foster community and create economic solutions for the region through tourism, education and workforce-development initiatives.

New this year is a component called Tips & Tools, which will feature static and interactive displays, opportunities for “mini-consultations” with State of Michigan agency representatives and private-sector experts, as well as short presentations on pertinent topics.

Teams of individuals from local communities are encouraged to attend.   Registration for a team of four is $220 plus $55 per additional person on or before Nov. 19 and $280 plus $70 per additional person thereafter.  The registration fee for individuals is $70 per person on or before Nov. 19 and $85 thereafter.  For more information, call Get Real! Communications at (734) 669-7192 or visit the conference website at www.TippingToCool.com.