CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — The 27th annual What’s Up Down South economic summit is set for Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the Dixie Convention Center. This event, Southern Utah’s largest business gathering, is designed to provide attendees with all the information they need to help plan for the year ahead.
What’s Up Down South offers a glimpse into current and future developments in the St. George area. The summit will feature updates and highlights from prominent leaders in the county, including presidents of the local chambers of commerce, city mayors, business leaders and more. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in multiple breakout sessions and networking opportunities.
“We’re giving some very real, actionable information on the topics that are at the front of everyone’s minds, from water to the labor force,” Washington County Commissioner Adam Snow said. “This is material that business owners, entrepreneurs and the general public can take and really understand what the landscape looks like here in Washington County.”
The theme of this year’s summit is “Make Your Mark,” and event organizers have selected keynote speakers and breakout session presenters to cover topics based on data from a comprehensive needs assessment of Southern Utah’s business community.
During the featured keynote address, attendees will learn the latest science about virtual, hybrid and face-to-face meetings from an evidence-based perspective and gain knowledge and resources on how to effectively lead meetings to promote inclusion.
“We have designed the content of the summit to address the needs of business leaders so they can make a mark in 2023,” said Paul Hill, Ph.D., a professor with Utah State University Extension focusing on economic development program planning in Washington County. “From a guy who attends a lot of meetings, I can say that we really need help with our meetings in Southern Utah.”
This year’s featured keynote speaker is Dr. Steven Rogelberg, the world’s leading expert on the science of meetings and author of the bestselling book, “The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance,” which was recognized by the Washington Post as the “No. 1 leadership book to watch for” and by Business Insider as one of the “top 14 books everyone will be reading.”
A recipient of the prestigious Humboldt Research Award, Rogelberg holds the title of chancellor’s professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for distinguished national, international and interdisciplinary contributions.
Rogelberg has been featured on CBS This Morning, Freakonomics, Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal and BBC World. He also consults for small and large organizations including IBM, Facebook, Amazon, TIAA, Pfizer, Google, Cisco, Procter & Gamble, United Nations, Family Dollar, 3M, RAND, Corning, KPMG, Siemens and others.
Additional keynote speakers include Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox, Washington County Water Conservancy District general manager Zach Renstrom and Phil Dean, chief economist and public finance senior research fellow at the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and a former executive director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget.
The summit begins at 7 a.m. Registration costs $125 per person through Jan. 31, and same-day registration will also be available for $150. Attendees with a for-profit business based in Utah and a valid Utah business license are eligible to apply for a 50% discount on their registration fees.
The event will wrap up with an optional bus tour from 2-4 p.m. and an afterparty at BigShots Golf, located in the Desert Color master-planned community, from 4-6 p.m. The bus tour takes attendees around Washington County and features stops at developments mentioned during the summit. Attendees will then have the opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow summit participants. Tickets for the bus tour and afterparty are $75 per person.
What’s Up Down South is presented by St. George Area Economic Development, a collaborative organization led by business and community leaders to strengthen and develop Southern Utah’s economy. According to its mission statement, the objective of the organization is to be a catalyst for prosperity that is robust, sustainable and in tune with the spirited cultural environment of the area.
Event details
- What: What’s Up Down South economic summit.
- When: Wednesday, Feb. 1, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Where: Dixie Convention Center, 1835 S. Convention Center Drive, St. George.
- Tickets: $125, registration through Jan. 31; $150, same-day registration; $75, bus tour.
- Resources: Website.
Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News.
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