2014 Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship: Making an Entrepreneurial City
Mayors from around the nation attended the second annual Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship on Oct. 15-16, 2014, in Louisville, Ky, to discuss strategies for promoting startup activity and higher levels of entrepreneurship in their cities.
Convened by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the 2014 Mayors Conference was held in partnership with Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville. The conference explored the growing "Maker Movement." As more and more Americans have access to both the technologies to build things and the networks to learn new skills, creativity is being channeled into new business ventures, economically benefitting both the maker-entrepreneur and others in the community.
Not only that, but Making has the potential to transform manufacturing and thereby American cities. This event addressed:
- The Maker Movement and ways to harness this activity,
- Making and how it applies to advanced manufacturing,
- The importance of immigrant entrepreneurs and initiatives to welcome them, and
- Practical strategies to grow and promote the entrepreneurial economy of cities.
"The mayors attending this conference understand how important entrepreneurs are to economic growth, job creation and innovation," said Jason Wiens, policy director at the Kauffman Foundation. "The conference is designed to help them learn from experts and each other about successful programs and structures that can have broad impact on building stronger entrepreneurial communities."