Regional NCIV Conference
Hosted By: Cleveland Council on World Affairs
Crowne Plaza -  August 5-7, 2009
(Click Here  to View our Sponsors)

• Cleveland has been selected to host the 2009 National Council for International Visitors regional conference from August 5-7.
• The Regional Conference is a partnership between the NCIV, the U.S. Department of State, and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA).
• This conference will be an unparalleled opportunity to put Cleveland on the national and global map.   Cleveland will have the chance to emphasize its key professional resources to conference attendees and to showcase our city as an ideal location to welcome visitors through citizen diplomacy.  The conference attendees will include staff members from the U.S. State Department and National Program Agencies who determine which cities the international delegations visit.
• Funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the conference will provide the opportunity for the CCWA to invite international organizations to meet in Cleveland to share programming techniques and best practices.
• Our programs highly contribute to the ongoing efforts towards economic development in Cleveland.  In fact, each year the CCWA hosts over 300 international emerging leaders and specialists.  These visits bring Cleveland more than $1,000,000 in revenue from hotel, food, entertainment, shopping and transportation expenditures.

Attendees:

• State Department officials within the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs including:
  - Directors and Deputy Directors of the Office of International Visitors
  - Chiefs of Community Resource Division and Branch- Director of New York Program Branch
  - Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Professional and Cultural Exchanges
• Program Officers from D.C. based National Programming Agencies
• Representatives from Northeast Regional Councils for International Visitors
• Locally based businesses, NGO’s, community organizations, ethnic groups and more.

We invite as much community participation as possible to help us reveal the tremendous yet often overlooked resources of our great city.

This conference represents an unparalleled opportunity to spotlight Cleveland on the national and global map. The event will provide CCWA members with excellent opportunities to network with staff members from the U.S. Department of State within the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, including: Directors and Deputy Directors of the Office of International Visitors; Chiefs of Community Resource Division and Branch; Director of New York Program Branch; Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Professional and Cultural Exchanges; in addition to staff from National Programming Agencies based in D.C.; representatives from other World Affairs Councils, local businesses, NGO’s, community organizations, ethnic groups and more.

We encourage our members  to register for the opening reception at the Great Lakes Science Center or the plenary sessions which will feature prominent speakers such as Peter Lawson Jones (Cuyahoga County Commissioner), Michael Scharf (C.W.R.U.), Dr. Linda Abraham Silver (President, Great Lakes Science Center), Chris Ronayne (President, University Circle) and more. The purchase of a plenary session ($25, includes a meal) allows for a free pass to any concurrent session on the same day. The conference will focus on in-depth training in international visitor leadership programming; hands-on skill building for nonprofit management; dynamic discussions and sharing of best practices, and discussions of key topics important to our region.

To Register (The $25.00 late fee will be waived for CCWA affiliates!)
Please go to: www.nciv.org
- click “Regional Meeting”
- “2009 Northeastern Regional Meeting”
- “Register Now”
- “Non-NCIV Members from the Cleveland Area”.

GOALS OF CONFERENCE: 
- Highlight Cleveland as an ideal location to host international visitors. 
- Strengthen programming skills of NCIV members and their public sector partners. 
- Build nonprofit management skills and leadership abilities. 
- Illustrate diversity and educate participants on how to reflect diversity in their programs and  
  organizations.

For more information contact:
Gina Cirino                  216- 255- 9008            gcirino@ccwa.org
Margarita Shulman       216- 255- 9004           mshulman@ccwa.org