The Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) hosted an event Nov. 22 and 23 at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Murfreesboro that focused on economic and technology development in Middle Tennessee and surrounding regions.
The TVC is an organization that specializes in the development and growth of the vast science and technology institutions in the area. Essentially the organization is devoted to continued growth of the established institutions that already exist here like the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Oak Ridge Laboratories, the National Transportation Research Center, the several research universities and others.
This event was organized in conjunction with Mind2Marketplace (M2M). M2M is an organization in Murfreesboro that specializes in job creation in the region. Its goal is to promote progress by encouraging entrepreneurship, innovation, the growth of a talented workforce, and most importantly the collaboration between different institutions, organizations and people.
“One of my highest priorities is to engage more private companies to complement our significant Federal and State presence. [Mind2Marketplace] brings about immediate credibility and excellent links to the private sector,” said TVC Chairman Douglas Fisher.
This wasn’t the old-style technology conference in which a few people dictate trends and thoughts. This was the first time at a TVC event that the audience members were able to submit questions via text messages to the board of experts and leaders. Conversations and the sharing of ideas are paramount.
“At our lunches people wouldn’t eat with the same people they came with,” said Mind2Marketplace Chairperson Andrea Loughry about the event. “You had to sit with people from different sectors so you have a government officer sitting next to a business person sitting next to someone from the higher education sector and they are all sharing their ideas.”
Loughry describes the event as an adult version of an elementary school play-date. It is a chance for people from different sectors with different interests to come together and share their ideas, thoughts, concerns and aspirations.
The overall goal of the TVC and M2M is to keep Middle Tennessee and the surrounding area on the forefront of knowledge-based industry growth.
To accomplish that goal they want to make sure the relationships formed at the conference don’t stop when the conference is over. The event had designated “connectors” whose job it is to make those connections made at the event continue so ideas can mature.
There was also an exhibit called “Not Your Grandmother’s Exhibit Hall.” This section focused on research and programs developed by students and young people in the area. This gave local students and student organizations an opportunity to make connections and show their skills to possible future employers.
Students and young people were not only selling themselves to these potential employers but also selling the region. In order to attract jobs to the region, the region must show the abilities of its workforce, and organizers see this as a perfect opportunity to do both.
After the event a Microsoft team leader that had attended the conference sent a list of different segments of the Microsoft foundation’s programs that are related to ideas discussed at the conference. Essentially this is a list of ideas on what to further develop in the region to possibly attract companies like Microsoft.
This was an event about ideas and keeping a high quality of life in Middle Tennessee and the surrounding areas. The TVC and M2M believe the way to do so is to grow a knowledge-based workforce to pull these innovative jobs and companies to the area.
Mind2Marketplace is planning to hold another event by mid-April of 2010.
