EDAC & University of Waterloo Seminar: Performance Measurement in Economic Development

9am-12:30pm   Using performance measurement to further economic development goals

• Challenges in economic development performance measurement
• Performance measurement models
• Meeting stakeholder expectations 

Brock Dickinson, CEO, MDB Insight, Stoney Creek, ON

1:30-5pm   Community data - finding it, working with it, and creating it yourself

This session is focused on research and analysis tools for working with community data. Participants will:

• Learn common sources for community-level data
• Practice useful tips for analyzing and working with data
• Learn to use input-output analysis to support community projects

Jamie Vann Struth, Principal, Vann Struth Consulting Group, Vancouver, BC

9am-12:30pm    Measuring community performance - case studies & best practices

This session builds on the research and analysis tools from Session I by emphasizing the presentation of data and community analysis. Participants will:

• Explore the power of benchmarking
• Review the best (and worst) ways to present data visually
• Link data measures to economic development objectives

Jamie Vann Struth, Principal, Vann Struth Consulting Group, Vancouver, BC

1:30-3pm   City Measurement Futures: Getting to Measuring What Matters and Curating Better Conversations

• Approach: absolute vs relative measurement
• Compare your city to five others
• Track performance and relative rankings
• External trends vs factors you can influence

Fred Morley, Chief Economist, Nova Scotia Tourism Agency/Nova Scotia Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness, Halifax, NS