Hotel Sponsors/Exhibit Hall Register

CAST YOUR VOTE FOR ONE OF THESE PROPOSED WORKSHOPS!

PARTICIPATE AND CELEBRATE: AN INTRODUCTION TO INDIANA’S BICENTENNIAL FESTIVITIES

Indiana’s Bicentennial is in 2016, giving Hoosiers the chance to celebrate the history and culture of their state in an unprecedented way. This celebration will connect the people, communities and regions of Indiana like never before and create tourism momentum that will carry on into future years as Hoosiers become reacquainted with the richness of their heritage and leisure opportunities. 

The Bicentennial Celebration is being planned with input from stakeholders from across Indiana as a statewide salute to our 200th anniversary with the following objectives in mind:
  • Putting more Hoosiers on Indiana’s roadways
  • Engaging and attracting visitors
  • Deepening Indiana Pride
  • Garnering media attention
  • Increasing travel-related revenue
Learn what events have been slated and how your community can get involved as we make this a true statewide celebration.

URBAN DEER MANAGEMENT IN INDIANA: CAUSES, CONCERNS, AND CONFLICTS

Urban deer conflicts are becoming more commonplace not only in Indiana, but throughout the country. The solutions to solving these problems are often controversial and expensive, and present a polarizing topic for city officials who are forced to make these difficult decisions. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has recently come out with a manual to help community leader’s deal with the process of working through deer/community conflicts, as well as created an innovative program that may help community leaders address the problem.

This talk will focus on causes of deer conflicts, concerns associated with overabundant deer, and costs and benefits associated with potential solutions. Panelists will introduce a new program that provides communities with monetary compensation for creating a hunter access program to help mitigate some of the deer problems that are being experienced.

DRILLING DOWN ON TAX ABATEMENT AND CALCULATING THE RETURN ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES

Creating and sustaining quality, thriving places are what local government leaders are all about. As part of any community’s economic development plan are the goals of maintaining jobs, attracting new employers, and expanding the tax base. While TIF is a much talked about incentive that local governments have available to them, tax abatement is another popular method to use in attracting new businesses and fostering the expansion of existing industries. This workshop will tell you everything you need to know about tax abatement.

The panel will explore the tax abatement flexibilities that were added to state statute in 2011 and help local leaders understand their options. Speakers will briefly cover other incentives and help you think through and evaluate your return on investment when it comes to the different kinds of available economic growth tools.

Deadline to vote is August 23.

View the entire conference workshop schedule.