To begin building the regional partnership during this first phase, economic development professionals guide the leadership team through an exercise of mapping a region’s assets. Individual leaders rarely have the complete grasp of all the different economic development assets within a region. Mapping these assets— literally marking them on a wall-sized map of the region—can help leaders see the future in a new way. Mapping regional assets goes beyond compiling lists of economic development assets. Critically, the team’s conversations must focus on how the region’s assets can be linked to create new opportunities. The economic development professional might focus on.
