It will be the final time this group meets as NACORE.The not so big news at the symposium was something everyone knew was coming: the merger of NACORE and the International Development Research Council (IDRC).The new organization will be called CoreNet Global.From the press release, "CoreNet Global will become the primary, single source for global, regional, and local networking in the field of corporate real estate.It will allow for an efficient sharing of knowledge within the industry at each level with broader access to innovated practices worldwide.The combined learning programs of IDRC and NACORE will improve the availability of professional and state-of-the-art learning programs, which will maximize opportunities for professional, managerial, and executive level development.The opportunities for leadership within the new association will be enhanced by leadership development programs which will also maximize the leadership potential of the members in their professional careers."
At the exhibition, I spoke with several state economic development representatives and asked them if they are using GIS technology to support the information exchange between government and the private sector.I received a mixed bag of responses.The state of Virginia is a heavy user of GIS and is very high on the technology while Oklahoma said they were not using the technology at all.
In general, it was interesting to hear the responses of some state representatives when asked about the status of attracting new business to their environs.Maine representatives are having difficulty attracting businesses despite great quality of living, while New Hampshire is comfortable in their role attracting large corporations but admits they are not the state for entrepreneurial activity.The folks from Wisconsin are looking to fill a leadership gap left by Tommy Thompson after his departure for a job at Health and Human Services in the Bush Administration.
Keynoter for the symposium was H.Norman Schwarzkopf, decorated war hero and superb storyteller.His motivating speech focused on "leadership and character." See the accompanying coverage of his speech.In summary, I would conclude that I am continually amazed that more location-based technology is not discussed among this group of executives.For a profession whose roots are grounded in the principals of "location," I would expect a greater emphasis on geographic information systems.