Our region, the greater Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area, is a place that supports innovation, collaboration, imagination and making new ideas happen. This presentation outlines six strategies we will take as a seven county area in 2013 to continue to identify, connect and shine a light on the thousands of people in our region who live these ideals every day. Together, we'll strengthen our communities and celebrate our success, letting it be known far and wide that we are proud of this place we call home, our brilliant neighbors all around us, and the huge opportunities that present themselves here all the time.

1. PLAN FOR 2013
• Empower use of the logo
• Tour the region
• Host events
• Promote all innovation-related events
• Collect + share our region’s innovation stories
• Produce Creative Week

2. EMPOWER LOGO USE
make it easy for those who are ready
to use the logo and brand materials

3. EASY TO USE LOGO + MEDIA
• Logo files, guidelines and use examples online
at creativecorridor.co/logo + shared photos
available at flickr.com/photos/creativecor
• Consultations and creative brainstorming for
logo incorporation available (email
andy@seedhere.org)
• Revamped brand presentation for speakers
bureau (coming very soon)
• Stickers and window clings (coming soon)
• Traveling table display for events around the
region (coming soon)

4. GET THE LOGO
creativecorridor.co/logo
send logo sightings to logo@creativecorridor.co

5. TOUR THE REGION
connect to every corner of the region and
engage with each interested community

6. VISIT EACH COMMUNITY
• Go on location to visit all interested
partners, cities and affinity communities in
the region
• Connect with the people and projects that
are pushing new ideas forward
• Create and distribute photos, video and blog
posts about the places and people we meet
• Present and discuss the branding initiative
past + future whenever requested
• Invite everyone to participate in the project
and leverage the brand for their efforts, and
work to connect them with others in the
region with similar interests

7. TOUR DATES (SO FAR)
When should we
visit your community?
email Amanda@seedhere.org to schedule a visit

8. HOST EVENTS
convene regular gatherings with key stakeholders
to co-create brand initiatives

9. COLLABORATION EVENTS
• Events highlighting the brand ideals in
action
• A launch celebration + bi-annual
update events with brand sponsors,
advisers and partners
• Quarterly all-inclusive Creative
Collaborative events to connect the
region’s marketing, media and event
professionals and co-create resources
and events with them.

10. FIRST EVENT
• December 2012: First Would your
gathering of the Creative
Collaborative favorite
• Focuswill be on building a marketing, media
shared regional calendar for
2013
+ event pros like
to attend?
email amanda@seedhere.org to learn more
details as they become available

11. PROMOTE EVENTS
promote all events in the region that teach or exhibit
innovation, collaboration + making new ideas happen

12. CALENDAR + NEWSLETTER
• Set up a basic shared online regional
calendar to gather all events in the
region in one place
• Curate a calendar of innovation +
collaboration specific events on
CreativeCorridor.co
• Distribute a newsletter featuring top
innovation events each week

13. SUBSCRIBE TODAY
creativecorridor.co/events
send event tips to events@creativecorridor.co

14. coolhunting.com
COLLECT + SHARE STORIES
produce memorable + easy-to-share media packages for the
region’s best examples of how we make new ideas happen

15. A STORY ENGINE
• Further develop the website to
house our region’s inventory of
examples of innovation +
collaboration
• Build, promote and invite
contributions to the inventory
• Select the best examples and create
locally-produced professional media
packages for each of them
• Distribute the packages widely and North Star provided the creative sample above with their
make each story easy to share recommendation of a very similar strategy. They called it the
DNA Project, and suggested it be the top priority for the
brand’s first year. We agree, and will implement it with a few
adjustments to the name and look/feel.

16. SHARE YOUR STORIES
creativecorridor.co/people
send stories to people@creativecorridor.co

17. omahacreativeweek.com/
PRODUCE CREATIVE WEEK
coordinate a 7-day region-wide celebration of our innovation
success stories and the people that created them

18. 1 WEEK. 40+ EVENTS.
1000’S OF CONNECTIONS
• Coming Fall 2013
• A week to showcase our region’s
creative success
• Events of all sizes, variety and
formality will happen in every part
of the region with special
publications, promotions and
media coverage throughout the
week
• Everyone from every sector and
community in the region is invited
to produce their own activities as
part of the week

19. START PLANNING
What would you like to do for Creative Week?
let us know at amanda@seedherestudio.com

20. PROJECT OBJECTIVES
What we’re going for with these strategies:
North Star’s list: Plus a few more of our own:
• Create a brand PowerPoint or video
• Engage the creative community and
• Develop brand stationary and business strengthen it in the region
supplies • Improve the innovation narrative for the
• Involvement from the private sector region
• An innovation imperative within the region • Foster more collaboration across
• Create a sense of place organizations and geographical areas of the
• Foster a sense of regionalism region
• Engage the brand in economic development • Strengthen connections across generations,
• Engage community imagination with organizations and industries
premium branded items • Produce a big collaborative event for the
• Create a media plan region

21. METRICS
Production: Reach
• Size of brand example inventory • Logos sightings
• Stories collected and distributed by our team • Stories shared
• Events hosted • Media mentions (national and regional)
• Events promoted
Long Term Metrics
Participation: • We recommend revisiting and tracking
• Story submission North Star’s qualitative and quantitative
• Web analytics metrics every 3-5 years.
• Newsletter subscribers, opens and click- • We would welcome partners who would like
throughs to help us establish and track metrics for our
• Event attendance region’s creative economy and collaborative
capacity.

22. RECAP: WAYS TO ENGAGE
Join in to make these ideas huge + successful:
• Use the logo and encourage your partners to do the same (creativecorridor.co/logo)
• Meet with us to brainstorm creative ways to leverage the brand for your needs
(email andy@seedhere.org)
• Share your photos + videos of the region and your media + articles about making new
ideas happen for others to use in their materials (email them to andy@seedhere.org)
• Post a sticker or window cling when available (coming soon)
• Subscribe to the newsletter + attend lots of events (creativecorridor.co/events)
• Sponsor the seed funding to launch this plan or production of a specific story or event
(email chuck.peters@sourcemedia.net to discuss details)
• Encourage your marketing + event staff to join the Creative Collaborative
(email amanda@seedhere.org to add them to the invitation list)
• Share your stories of making new ideas happen (email andy@seedhere.org)
• Take us on a tour of your communities and connect us with your favorite examples of the brand ideals
(email amanda@seedhere.org to schedule)
• Go on tour with us to connect with other communities in the region
• Produce a special event or promotion as part of Creative Week
(email amanda@seedhere.org to talk ideas)

23. LET’S CO-CREATE!
Always, often, and if ever in doubt, call or email us.
We look forward to working with you!
Amanda Styron, Community Builder
amanda@seedhere.org + (319) 400-7782
Andy Stoll, Creative Director
andy@seedhere.org + (424) 888-2434