Which Metrics Really Matter?

We've all heard politicians overhype a development project — it could be the recruitment of a large manufacturer or a new economic development-related public initiative. We cringe as the figures are often unrealistic, under-researched or over-multiplied. A front page article in a recent Wall Street Journal (subscription required) highlighted this problem quite plainly. Public radio program, This American Life, thought it worth an entire hour-long episode.

For many in the tech-based economic development world, the problem seems even more complicated because they believe public investments to encourage research, technology commercialization and innovation are often too far upstream in the job creation spectrum to have meaningful impact numbers for years. If true, then how should we measure the impact and performance of public tech-based economic development initiatives?

At SSTI's Annual Conference, we won't be afraid to fully engage this debate during one of our kickoff breakout sessions. It will take active participation of the audience of fellow experience practitioners to resolve it in the end. And we will. By the end of "The Great Debate: Which Metrics Matter?", we will have finally moved the application of metrics for TBED to a more workable solution going forward.

The future public investment in your TBED initiative could very well hinge on the outcome of this provocative and lively session. Can you afford to risk leaving the discussion to others? Join us Nov. 8 in Columbus, OH at SSTI's Annual Conference to contribute and help finally decide what metrics really matter for tech-based economic development.

Register today!