This weekend, the Alliance for Innovation will be hosting its annual BIG Ideas conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  BIG Ideas is an invitation-only event that gathers progressive leaders to explore critical issues for the future of local government. The Alliance for Innovation is an organization dedicated to transforming local government through the power of innovation and collaboration. It serves as the platform for local governments who are passionate about nurturing an innovative culture and building the future of local government today.

ICMA and its Center for Management Strategies are a key partner of the Alliance for Innovation and are responsible for the dissemination of content generated through this partnership--both academic research and applied knowledge case studies--to local governments across the world.  As such, we are a critical link to innovative practices and ideas that can make a difference in your local government's efficiency and effectiveness.

Our first two research topics--civic engagement and collaborative service delivery--have resulted in great quality documents and articles that can assist local governments in their work in these important topic areas.  Our partnership has also developed cutting edge assessment tools that can assist you in understanding your organization's capacity and readiness for doing this work.  These resources are free to anyone interested in learning more!  Just visit our resources section of the CMS website to take a look at all the materials that are available to you to make your work easier in these important areas.

As we contemplate future research projects through the Alliance and our academic partner, Arizona State University, we are interested in hearing which leading and emerging topics are of most interest to local government managers.   We will be hearing lots of BIG ideas this weekend, but want to open the opportunity to those unable to attend the upcoming conference to submit their BIG ideas as well. 

So, what are your BIG ideas that can transform local government for the better?  What would you like to learn more about that can help you make a difference in the quality of your local government services, the development of your organization and the building of community in your jurisdiction?