Wednesday May 3, 2023
7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:00 - 8:30 a.m. BIABC 2023 AGM
8:30 - 9:15 a.m. Keynote Session
What Is There to Learn About Leadership, Anyway?
If you value staff commitment and engagement, then there are some key elements you might bring to improve your leadership game. Whether you have 2 or 3 employees or 2 or 3 hundred employees, there are key skills, practices, and competencies related to your leadership that will help you and your organization become a high-performing team. In this session, Niels Agger-Gupta, PhD., an Associate Professor and the Acting Director of the Royal Roads University School of Leadership Studies, will share some of the key elements that MA-Leadership Students learn to improve their skills in the workplace. This includes elements of Personal Leadership; creating engaged and committed teams; and making the connection with systems thinking; and improving your relationships through appreciative inquiry, an orientation to possibility, and building a network. Niels will take an experiential approach to providing an overview of leadership learning and the issues and interests you bring to your leadership.
Dr. Niels Agger-Gupta, Associate Professor & Acting Director of the Royal Roads University School of Leadership Studies
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. Keynote Session
An Economy by Design, Not Default: Regional Economic Development and the Shifting Role for Business Improvement Associations
City and regional economies play increasingly important roles in the global economy. They are where people and business congregate to produce the innovation, knowledge-sharing & trade relationships that drive the world forward. At the heart of these regional economies are their Central Business Districts–championed by BIAs. But as monumental shifts occur in a post-pandemic economy: such as rising unaffordability and the shift toward remote and hybrid work, how can BIAs work collaboratively with regional economic development organizations to respond to new pressures and new opportunities alike?
Dallas Gislason, Director of Economic Development, South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP)
10:15 - 10:35 a.m. Networking Break & Hotel Check Out
10:35 - 11:35 a.m. Closing Keynote Session
Our Downtowns and the Stories We Tell
Sometimes the narratives about downtowns don’t match what’s actually happening on the ground. Negative narratives can hurt businesses and erode confidence. While acknowledging the challenges facing urban centres across BC, Lisa will discuss strategies for telling powerful stories of success, hope and a bright future for downtown British Columbia.
Lisa Helps, Housing Solutions Advisor in the Premier’s Office, for the start-up of BC Builds
11:35 - 11:45 a.m. Closing remarks and announcement of the location of 2024's conference