Inside LiveXchange

Business Facilities LiveXchange is an invitation-only event for corporate executives responsible for choosing a new location for their companies’ next facility. Delegates meet with senior economic developers from across North America; attend seminars, workshops, and think tanks led by experts in the field of relocation and expansion; and network with other corporate executives faced with the same corporate growth challenges. This month, we preview some of the high-profile speakers who will be making presentations at our 2010 LiveXchange keynote address, seminars and workshops.

Each year, our LiveXchange event provides a fertile meeting ground for site selectors and senior economic developers. This year’s LiveXchange presents a crucial, not-to-be-missed opportunity for locations to zero in on pre-qualified, viable projects in a slowly recovering economy.

“In today’s economic environment, it is imperative to get the maximum return for time and money spent in pursuit of a select group of big-ticket projects that are looking for the perfect location,” says Group C Media Co-President Ted Coene, Chief Business Officer of Business Facilities.

“No other event offers the high-quality, face-to-face meeting opportunity that is available at LiveXchange,” Coene adds. “Our customized scheduling software creates a unique itinerary matching site selectors for pre-qualified projects to locations represented at the event—locations in which these decision makers already have expressed an interest. All of this takes place in a first-class resort setting conducive to personal interaction as well as detailed business discussions and deal making.”

As in our past events, the unique LiveXchange experience will be supplemented by an all-star list of guest speakers who will be making presentations and leading discussions on a number of hot-button issues. This year, we have invited one of the nation’s leading corporate real estate specialists to present our keynote address, which focuses on what it will take to fix the U.S. economy. Drawing from his recently published book, Selling Out a Superpower: Where the U.S. Economy Went Wrong and How We Can Turn It Around, Dr. Ron Pollina will give us his prescription for reversing the nation’s “downward spiral” and discuss case histories of companies that had to decide whether to move offshore or remain in the U.S. How and why decisions were actually made, as well as the impact on the companies and the communities in which they were located, are examined.

Dr. Pollina, a geoeconomist, is president and founder of Chicago-based Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc. Since 1981, Pollina Corporate has represented clients nationally and internationally with strategic planning and location analysis. Dr. Pollina is recognized as an expert in corporate location analysis, economic development and geoeconomic trends.

David Atkins, CEO of Adkins International, Ltd, will share his expertise on logistics and supply chain issues and the workings of global business. Atkins’ career spans more than 30 years in marketing, distribution, strategic planning, and senior management.

Also leading seminars at LiveXchange are two of the top players from global powerhouse KPMG.

George Tobjy, Tax Director at KPMG Global Location and Expansion Services, will be leading a discussion on Renewable Energy and Green Incentives. Simon Harding, KPMG associate partner, will present an updated overview of KPMG’s 2010 Competitive Alternatives study and lead our closing panel discussion at LiveXchange.

We look forward to these and other thought-provoking presentations at this year’s LiveXchange event.

LiveXchange 2010 will take place November 7-9 at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter of New Orleans. For more information about our upcoming LiveXchange event, visit our Web site at businessfacilities.com, or contact Group C Media’s vice president, marketing, Bill MacRrae at bmacrae@groupc.com.