Tag: events

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Business News

Bold Fusion 2010 invites young professionals to realign

The 6th Annual Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber summit for young professionals takes place this Thursday, April 29. Called Bold Fusion, the event offers an opportunity for the next generation of movers and shakers to come together and “challenge the way they work and live in Cincinnati USA.”

The focus of this year’s half-day event is on innovation and reshaping traditional work and lifestyles for the future. An impressive array of presenters is lined up to inspire and invoke new thoughts. Most notably, the keynote speaker is Cincinnati-native David Pescovitz, research director at The Institute for the Future and the co-editor of popular blog BoingBoing. His goal is to shake up the views of the Bold Fusion attendees and get them to rethink they way they live and the companies they represent professionally.

“Many of the best ideas may come from unexpected contributors,” explained Pescovitz who went on to say that those contributors can come from so far outside an organization’s own walls that they even speak a different language.

2009 Bold Fusion attendees [LEFT] were treated to Richard Boehne, CEO of E.W. Scripps [RIGHT], who served as the summit’s keynote speaker last year. Images provided.

The other speakers are nothing to scoff at, either. The day kicks off with LPK’s Vice President of Trends, Valerie Jacobs, giving a “back cast” that will look at the ways sociocultural trends have shaped our lives over the last several years, in order to propel us into the future.

There will also be other local professionals giving their personal accounts of jumping into the murky waters of innovation, and how they have grown and changed through those experiences, including Chris Ostoich of Blackbook and Ignite Cincinnati; Chris Graves, Enquirer Media/Locals on Living and Amy Storer-Scalia of CincyChic; Erika Brown, P&G Beauty & Grooming Brand Manager of Digital Strategy & Innovation, Founder of BeingGirl.com and Co-founder of Tremor; Meredith Holthaus and Pete Healy, Museum of Advertising; Elizabeth Edwards, Metro Innovation; and Steve Burns of AMP Electrical Vehicles.

A new twist this year is the introduction of Bold Fusion’s “Lounge 140” which will feature an assemblage of local social media gurus. This group will be updating attendees and those who unable to make the event through their various social media outlets. UrbanCincy’s own Jenny Kessler has been asked to be a part of Lounge 140, and will be tweeting about the event live @jenlkessler and from @UrbanCincy. Those looking to follow along with the live tweets about Bold Fusion can follow #CincyHype and even join in the conversation.

So, in a nutshell, why should you come to Bold Fusion?

“Bold Fusion 2010 wants all of Cincinnati USA’s creative makers, hackers, innovators and passionistas to participate in the largest convergence of young talent in a single place, around a single topic in the region,” said Jennifer Young, Marketing Communications Manager for Cincinnati USA. “Press pause, realign and decide what to make of your future.”

Bold Fusion will take place Thursday, April 29 from 1pm to 5pm at the Westin Hotel (map), with a happy hour event following the summit from 5pm to 7pm. Nonprofits and companies sending two or more people to Bold Fusion can purchase tickets for $45. College students can register for $35, Cincinnati USA members will be able to get in for $60 and all others will be able to attend for $85. You can register online now or by calling (513) 579-3111.

Categories
Development News

Cincinnati to debut form-based code implementation strategy

The City of Cincinnati will present its recommended strategy for implementing form-based codes at a special Planning Commission meeting on Friday, April 30 at 9am.

Form-based codes are two years in the making in Cincinnati where officials have met with communities around the country that have successfully implemented form-based codes of their own. Locally, the City of Bellevue, KY has finished the public involvement portion of their form-based code development process and is now moving towards adoption of the non-conventional zoning practice.

Cincinnati’s implementation strategy will detail how form-based codes can be incorporated into the existing Cincinnati zoning code while also developing a process for creating and applying them throughout city neighborhoods.

This strategy has been developed through a collaborative effort between the City, Opitcos Design and Lisa Wise Consulting over the past four months. In 2008, Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls and Councilmember Laketa Cole introduced a motion directing the administration to develop such a plan. Stakeholders have been meeting month since that time and are now getting closer to implementing a form-based code in one of the largest cities nationwide to date.

The special Planning Commission meeting being held on Friday, April 30 will be held from 9am to 11am at Two Centennial Plaza (J. Martin Griesel Room, 7th Floor) in downtown Cincinnati (map). Free bicycle parking is available nearby and the site is served by Metro (plan your trip). Cash parking garages and on-street parking is available nearby for automobiles.

Categories
Business News

Cincinnati’s Clark Montessori High School seen as national model of success

The nation’s first public Montessori high school is a feather in the cap of Cincinnati Public School District, and Clark Montessori is also one of the best schools in Ohio’s third largest public school district by student population. The school has now gone even further and been recognized on a national level as a model of educational success for other high schools across the United States.

This accomplishment has not gone unnoticed by President Obama who has established a goal of having the world’s highest proportion of college graduates by 2020. As part of President Obama’s education goals, he has established the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge which has been whittled down to six finalists including Cincinnati’s Clark Montessori.

“These six schools represent just a few of the stories of success that are happening all across the country,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “We won’t accomplish the President’s national goal of leading the world in college completion by 2020 without the hard work and dedication of the school leaders, teachers and students exemplified by our six final high schools.”

To get to this point, Clark Montessori seniors worked with representatives from the Get Schooled Foundation to produce a video illustrating the excellence at their school. The video is currently being used as a judge for those voting for a winner from the six finalists. Starting today, voting opened to the public and Clark Montessori’s application and video have been posted to the White House website. The winner of the competition will receive a visit from President Obama where he will deliver the spring commencement speech at the winning high school.

“The quality of the applications we received is a testament to the exciting work happening in schools throughout the country, and I look forward to visiting and speaking at the winning school later this spring,” said President Obama.

In 2009, Clark Montessori graduated 100% of its senior class. You can vote for Cincinnati’s Clark Montessori in the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge now until 11:59pm on Thursday, April 29.

Race to the Top Challenge announcement photograph provided.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

First-ever UrbanCincy Visual Showcase – 4/30

UrbanCincy will host its first-ever gallery exhibition at this month’s Final Friday gallery hop in historic Over-the-Rhine. The gallery will focus on the works of three local Cincinnati photographers and videographers. Their work will celebrate Cincinnati built form and cityscape through photographs and engaging video pieces.

Photographer and transportation historian, Jake Mecklenborg, will be showcasing his cityscape photography in standard print form. Additionally, Mecklenborg will be premier his bicycle ride from Cincinnati’s Fountain Square to the Statehouse in Columbus. The video has been sped up and will highlight the 100-plus mile journey.

North College Hill resident and UrbanCincy writer, Jeremy Mosher, will be showcasing his work covering Cincinnati’s unique urban landscape through his critically acclaimed videography mode. Finally, Allister Sears will be participating in his first gallery exhibition and will showcase his urban cityscape photography in a variety of formats.

All of the participating artists will have prints available for purchase either on-site, or have ordering forms ready to be filled out in case you are interested.

The first-ever UrbanCincy Visual Showcase will take place on Friday, April 30 from 6pm to 10pm in the former A Lucky Step showroom on Vine Street (map). The location makes for a perfect stop before or after you visit Senate or Lavomatic. At the free showcase, visitors will be treated to light refreshments, music and an engaging gallery space perfect for anyone fascinated by Cincinnati’s urban landscape.

Walnut Street photograph by Jake Mecklenborg.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

2010 MPMF Reveal Showcase at the CAC this Friday

This Friday night marks the return of all things MidPoint to Cincinnati’s urban core. It seems hard to believe that the 2009 version of MidPoint Music Festival is already seven months behind us, but it is. It also seems like just yesterday that bands like The Heartless Bastards and Chairlift were filling the tent in the parking lot at Grammer’s, and that acts were packing smaller venues like the Havana Martini Club and Mainstay throughout the course of a rainy September weekend. In any case, while the 2010 version of MPMF is a full five months away, MidPoint organizer Dan McCabe and his team have been very busy getting everything organized.

One such event upcoming is the 2010 Reveal Showcase being held at the Black Box at the Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati. Tickets to the showcase starting at 8pm will cost $10 (tickets also available at the door). The event will feature three up-and-coming bands: The Buried Wires, Cincinnati’s own Pomegranates, and Aloha which will be headlining the event.

McCabe has been most proud about how MPMF has brought such a positive music experience to all of the attendees. Since 2008 attendance has increased at the music festival a whopping 27%. And while last year’s festival was widely publicized for the programming debacle at Cadillac Ranch, at the end of the festival, McCabe pointed out how in the year that historic Over-the-Rhine was dubiously listed as America’s most dangerous neighborhood, MPMF went off without incident. He attributed this to a close relationship with businesses, a great crowd that is there to experience the music and a strong working relationship with District One of the Cincinnati Police Department.

With the biggest stage right in the heart of OTR at Grammer’s, many music lovers walked from the historic neighborhood to the Central Business District and vice versa. Without question, MPMF has had a positive impact on the community and the perception many concert goers may have had about OTR prior to visiting. Instead of reading the headlines and being scared away, everyone enjoyed themselves safely even if they had to dodge a few raindrops over the course of the weekend.

Instrument [LEFT] and The Sleeping Sea [RIGHT] perform at the 2009 Midpoint Music Festival – photos by Dave Rolfes.

While some businesses stayed open longer hours during 2009, the hope from MPMF organizers is that all of downtown will benefit from the music lovers roaming the streets for three consecutive days and even more businesses will find a way to partake this year through extended hours, specials or by partnering with the music festival in some way.

This year’s festival will include even more bands than last year’s record of 270. The success of last year’s expansion has given MPMF increased credibility which McCabe has described as being “embraced by the industry.”

2010 is currently shaping up to be the biggest year in the festival’s history with a hope of bringing in 350 acts. So far this year, submissions are about on pace with last year’s where roughly 1,000 different acts submitted material for consideration. It is fully expected that 2010 will also push, if not exceed, the same number by the time the deadline comes around Friday, May 14.

For the immediate future though, this Friday’s Reveal Showcase will offer up an opportunity for those interested to learn more about all things MidPoint. Aside from the show, there will be announcements regarding some of the acts already confirmed for MPMF 2010, an unveiling of the venues for the festival this fall, the new MPMF website will be launched and the full line-up will be revealed for the PNC MidPoint Indie Summer Series on Fountain Square.

Contemporary Arts Center photography by Jeremy Mosher.