The ICF Global Summit returns home in October 2023.

>> Register today! <<

SUMMIT PROGRAM   |   HOTELS

Summit Theme: The Middle of Nowhere is No More

Ask a young person who was born in a small town or city where they came from, and the answer is likely to be, “You’ve never heard of it – it’s the Middle of Nowhere.” But where is the Middle of Nowhere today?

The global pandemic unraveled large chunks of urban life. Empty offices, closed retail stores, fewer tourists visiting big cities for entertainment. Investments moving elsewhere. As we predicted in our 2008 book, Broadband Economies, it also did something unthinkable to most city leaders and urban thinkers. It peeled back the cover hiding a completely different economy.

Call it “Broadband Economy 2.0”

In this distributed economy, connectivity is as disruptive as the railroad and highway once were. The extra bedroom has become the office and the living room turned into the movie theater. The favorite store is the laptop, tablet or phone, powered by artificial intelligence and tapping the limitless resources of the cloud.

Today, small and midsize communities have the chance to leave the Middle of Nowhere behind. They can build dynamic and innovative economies that give the next generation the opportunities they deserve. Places connected to the world, without sacrificing their culture. Places that attract talent and grow their populations instead of seeing them shrink.

They just have to know how it’s done.

Sponsors and Partners

Join the community of Intelligent Communities

In October 2023, the ICF Global Summit brings together ICF’s international network to share the best practices and cases from today’s winning communities, large, medium and small:

1. Attracting and retaining talent
2. Preparing your workforce to work remotely and effectively
3. Structuring a local economy to attract investment and grow new businessses
4. Reimagining the downtown district
5. Empowering local employers to navigate a digital economy
6. Using apps and AI to put the citizen first

The 2023 Global Summit is an intimate invitational gathering that makes the most of person-to-person networking while offering powerful lessons for our online audience. It provides small-group sessions in which attendees map out solutions to challenges while learning from each other and building new relationships.

The Summit also welcomes the Top7 Communities of the Year and names one of them as Intelligent Community of the Year, successor to New Taipei City, at a prestigious dinner event. And, as a special feature: we will explore Taiwan, home to two dozen Intelligent Communities and most of the world’s chip manufacturing, a vibrant economic and cultural center that punches far above its weight. We will answer the question, “How Does Taiwan Do It?”

Because your city can too.

Summit Locations

The ICF Summit takes place at a variety of venues in midtown Manhattan.

• The Intelligent Community Charrettes on October 25 will be at two locations. Attendees will be split into two groups and will be assigned a location. One group will attend at the offices of Hogan Lovells (390 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10017) and the other group will attend at Consulate General of Finland (605 3rd Ave #35th, New York, NY 10158). Please refer to your Summit Guide email for your specific location or email Matthew Owen ([email protected]) for assistance.
• The Top7 Reception on October 25 takes place at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of New York (1 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017)
• The Plenary Sessions on October 26 take place at the SUNY Global Center (116 E 55th St, New York, NY 10022)
• The Intelligent Community Awards Dinner takes place at Green Fig, the rooftop terrace and restaurant at YOTEL New York. (570 10th Ave, New York, NY 10036)

Hotel Information

For those traveling to attend the ICF Global Summit, a hotel block is available. Click here to learn more.

Program

The Summit Program can be found here.