Creative EDC has facilitated recent board planning retreats for Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Economic Development Advisory Council, SouthernCarolina Alliance, Realtors Commercial Alliance, Economic Development Authority of Amherst County, and others. In one example, the focus of the Henderson County Partnership 2021 retreat was board development and prioritizing activities for the coming year. The SouthernCarolina Alliance used the retreat to set the regional economic development agenda for 2022.
The purpose of a retreat is typically to revisit the strategic plan, make course corrections if needed, and identify priorities for the coming year. Retreat agendas often include an overview of emerging trends in economic development, a status update on strategic plan action steps, discussion of changes since the plan was completed, breakout group discussion of updates, and priorities for the coming year. The end result is an update to the strategic plan and staff program of work.