The International Business Innovation Association (InBIA) partners with the Niagara Global Tourism Institute (NGTI) and the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) shared contemporary ecosystem building practices, particularly under the lens of multi-jurisdictional clusters and collaboration, diversity, and inclusion.
The International Business Innovation Association (InBIA), a global network for entrepreneurship centers hosted their 2019 Ecosystem Builders (e.Builders) Forum from October 3-4, 2019 at the NGTI’s new TReC incubator in Niagara Falls, New York in partnership with CGLR.
The e.Builders Forum is a two-day conference that featured workshops and interactive discussions, led and facilitated by vetted industry leaders, to empower entrepreneurial ecosystem builders with solutions for their communities’ economic growth. The third annual e.Builders Forum was held in Niagara Falls, New York, in a region that has been renowned for cross-border collaboration across a number of high-growth sectors and its effective approach through private-public partnerships for entrepreneurial development, enabling sustainable economic revitalization. According to Business View Magazine, the collaborative efforts of the Great Lakes’ stakeholders towards infrastructure redevelopment and regional rebranding have driven intentional, environmentally friendly economic renewal for Niagara Falls.
The binational Great Lakes economic region, shared by eight U.S. states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, is North America’s economic engine and increasingly a global hub of innovation across a wide range of high-growth sectors. The e.Builders Forum presented an opportunity to showcase the region’s innovation potential, clusters, and opportunities for domestic, North American, and global entrepreneurs and innovators to explore the region’s economic advantages and the benefits of connecting to innovation ecosystems on both sides of the border.
“The NGTI’s partnership with InBIA and the CGLR to host the e.Builders Forum at TReC recognizes the immense potential for economic and social revitalization in Niagara Falls, NY,” said Pat Whalen, Director, Niagara Global Tourism Institute. “Harnessing the strong international brand of Niagara Falls and the global impact of the Great Lakes region, we are elated to bring together thought leaders and industry innovators from around the world. We’re looking forward to learning about best practices and experiences to build the foundation for sustained and equitable growth.”
InBIA Senior Vice President of Strategy & Partnerships Andrea Wesser-Brawner, regarding the intentional co-location of the forum with the Great Lakes’ ecosystem clusters: “The goal of this year’s e.Builders Forum was to showcase how to best do ecosystem development around cluster specialization,” said Wesser-Brawner. “The Great Lakes region has repeatedly demonstrated that they have an aptitude for building cluster-specific ecosystems—specifically healthcare, tourism, and photonics. Our partners provide a wealth of knowledge surrounding replicable, inclusive practices that can create a foundation for an attractive entrepreneurial community anywhere in the world.”
The 2019 e.Builders Forum explored how to efficiently activate entrepreneurship centers and regional diversity to uplift the entrepreneurial profile of an ecosystem. The first day of workshops encompased solutions for differentiating an entrepreneurship center in a crowded ecosystem and encouraging diversity and inclusion; there will additionally be a special workshop geared towards developing a variety of tools and skillsets for those who are venturing into ecosystem building. The last day highlighedt four different tracks of roundtable discussions for participants to choose from: supporting second stage companies and gazelles, encouraging diversity and inclusion, building industry clusters, and the fundamentals of ecosystem building.
Following the e.Builders Forum, InBIA will lead potential and current ecosystem builders in two additional days of specialty training courses designed to complement the innovation leaders’ newly acquired resources. Some of these courses include Entrepreneurship Center Management (ECM) Course Three: Building Profitable Programs That Serve Entrepreneurs and ECM Course Four: Space Design, Software, and Other Ways to Streamline Operations; an Advanced Mentor Development Workshop, which will be officially premiered in the fall; Building Successful University Entrepreneurship Centers; An Ecosystem Development Workshop: Build Your Community Framework to Accelerate Regional Collaboration; and more.
About the International Business Innovation Association
InBIA is a global nonprofit with over 1,300 members that lead entrepreneurship centers in 62 countries. For over 30 years, InBIA has provided industry best practices through education while enabling collaboration, mentorship, peer-based learning and the sharing of innovative ideas for entrepreneurs across the globe. InBIA is the premier organization for business incubators, accelerators, coworking spaces, and other entrepreneurship centers.
About the Niagara Global Tourism Institute
The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council recently identified tourism as a key driver for the steadily developing Western New York economy. The Niagara Global Tourism Institute (NGTI) was established in September of 2014, thanks to the financial support of the Western New York Power Proceeds Allocation Board. The impetus for the NGTI’s formation is to foster collaborative partnerships throughout the Western New York community to improve the visitor experience and the industry’s competitiveness in the global marketplace. Utilizing the strength and expertise of Niagara University, the NGTI creates programs concentrated within their 4 pillars of Research, Workforce Development, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (Business Incubation).
For more information, contact:
Andrea Wesser-Brawner at awesser@inbia.org
Mark Fisher at mark@councilgreatlakesregion.org
Patrick Whalen at pwhalen@niagara.edu
