Arts & Business Luncheon 2018

The City of Dubuque Department of Economic Development and the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs hosted its 3rd Annual Arts & Business Luncheon on December 13, 2018. We were proud to facilitate this event in conjunction with our sponsors Startup Dubuque, Northeast Iowa Community College, the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce, Travel Dubuque and Gigantic and in partnership with our growing list of  community partners in the arts non-profit, business and creative field.

Keynote Presenter: Stephanie Pruitt, Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville, Chair Elect

The theme of the luncheon was timely for the Dubuque community focusing on “Development as a Creative Process: The Practice, the Players, and the Profit.”  “Development and the smart growth of a city is a process of envisioning, strategizing, crafting, and revising. Those are the same steps most artists work through every day. The process might look a little different, but artists, businesses, and city planners can learn a lot from one another. The synergy of corporate and creatives can be a win-win-win. The ultimate winners are the community as a whole,” says Pruitt.  Her keynote discussed the parallels between businesses and creatives, including examples from her community in Nashville, and successful models that foster a more vibrant cultural, economic, and diverse community.   

These events are understand the pressures of attracting and retaining workforce, particularly millennial and generation Z young professionals.  We were lucky have them here in Dubuque to share their successful methods of aligning arts and business strategies to support overall economic vitality and growth.