28 Oct Launch Fishers Receives Excellence in Economic Development Award from the International Economic Development Council
Launch Fishers received a Gold Excellence in Economic Development Award for its 2014 FailFest in the category of Special Event for communities with populations of 25,000-200,000 from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). The honor was presented at an awards ceremony on Monday, October 5, during the 2015 IEDC Annual Conference, which was held October 4-7, in Anchorage, Alaska.
“From localized community projects, to large scale endeavors, economic development efforts have played a vital role in the global economy,” said JoAnn Crary, CEcD, Chair of the International Economic Development Council and President of Saginaw Future Inc. “As we address new and longstanding challenges, these efforts continue to take on even greater importance. The award serves as a salute to pacesetting organizations like Launch Fishers for leading the charge.”
The 2014 FailFest was a day-long conference for innovation-driven entrepreneurs that inspired, informed and celebrated the role failure has in success, hosted by Launch Fishers. The latest in a series of initiatives to support the various entrepreneurs that call the City of Fishers and Indiana home, FailFest welcomed Indiana’s best and brightest business leaders, entrepreneurs and supportive elected officials to share their personal failures that enabled them to evolve, regroup and achieve greater success. Held November 19, 2014, FailFest was attended by more than 350 budding, serial and veteran entrepreneurs that participated in panel discussions and presentations.
A shot of the crowd during FailFest 2014
“FailFest was conceived as a way to celebrate the role of failure in innovation,” said John Wechsler, Founder of Launch Fishers and creator of FailFest. “The road to success is paved by failure and anything we can do to change the failure culture and enable learning from past experiences is a good thing.”
Recipients of IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards demonstrate to an experienced panel of judges that they are at the forefront of the economic development profession. They are recognized as the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders. These awards honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities.
About FailFest
FailFest was created to celebrate the role of failure in innovation. The inaugural event in 2014 drew 350 attendees to hear 21 speakers from a wide range of backgrounds including Inc. 500 Founders, a public CEO, an Olympic Champion and senior elected officials. More at FailFest.us.
About Launch Fishers
Launch Fishers is a launch pad for high-potential enterprises located in Fishers, Indiana. Created by John Wechsler in conjunction with the Town of Fishers in 2012, Launch Fishers has grown to 530 members in a wide array of industries and ranging from startup to expansion-stage companies. More at LaunchFishers.com.
About the International Economic Development Council
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 4,600 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities, by creating, retaining and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base. From public to private, rural to urban, and local to international, IEDC’s members are engaged in the full range of economic development experience. Given the breadth of economic development work, our members are employed in a wide variety of settings including local, state, provincial and federal governments, public private partnerships, chambers of commerce, universities and a variety of other institutions. When we succeed, our members create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities, and improve the quality of life in their regions. www.iedconline.org.