2015 Annual Conference
“Places For People”
October 21-23, Tampa Hilton Downtown
Program
View 2015 Conference Presentations
Sponsorships
Trade Show Exhibit Spaces (including Floor Plan)
Conference Evaluation Form
2015 Annual Conference
Conference Sponsor
What Attendees are saying about the 2015 Conference!
“I enjoyed the conference and want to thank you for all your hard work to ensure the conference was a success for participants like myself. There is a lot of behind the scenes work to make any conference a success. The Conference in Tampa was a smashing success thanks to your hard work and that of many staff people associated with the conference.”
John O. D’Agostino
Town Manager, Town of Lake Park
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Conference, the FRA Class was excellent and all of the presentations were right on key. I hate that I could not be in all of the classes. I will visit the FRA site and continue to educate myself… Thanks FRA.”
Vice Mayor Beverly Williams
City of Lauderdale Lakes
“Just wanted to drop in with a thank you for organizing a great conference again this year. I also took the Housing and Redevelopment class on Friday and enjoyed it very much.”
Evan Johnson
Sr. Project Manager
“Thank you so much for a well-run and informative conference. I’m placing my notes and contacts in a binder for future reference and use.”
Shelli Eddie
City Commissioner of Sarasota
“A note of thanks for putting together a fantastic conference. I very much enjoyed our keynote speaker from Spain, Vicente Guallart, Mayor Buckhorn’s visit and generally the entire conference. I renewed old acquaintances, while making new connections and certainly gained a lot of insight regarding ways to think of and implement redevelopment.”
Carol A. Leone, PLLC
Attorney at Law
“Absolutely loved the conference “Places for People”— the courses, sessions, and key note speakers— but moreover, the opportunity to engage and network with likeminded professionals in a field that is so central to building communities up! Kudos!!”
Cija Omengebar
Economic Development Aide, City of Fort Lauderdale
“Awesome! Thanks much. I can’t wait to share what I learned with the other CAC members. I told everyone they really did miss a wonderful opportunity.”
Deborah D. Figgs-Sanders
Executive Director, Childs Park
“It was a great conference this year. Thanks for the work you and your staff put into the conference every year. I think you keep making it better and better.”
Gail Kroll
FINFROCK
2015 Conference Keynote Speakers
Vicente Guallart
We are honored to feature Vicente Guallart, chief architect of the city of Barcelona, Spain, during the FRA program in Tampa, Oct. 22, 2015. Guallart is an international award-winning architect and the founder of Guallart Architects and the Institute of Advanced Architecture in Catalunya. He has also been the general director of Urban Habitat since 2011. Called “a pioneer of interaction between nature, technology and architecture,” he proposes new paradigms based in urban, social and cultural conditions emerging from an information society. Click here to learn more.
Fred Kent
Traveling over 150,000 miles each year, Fred offers technical assistance to communities and gives major talks across North America and internationally. Each year, he and the PPS staff give presentations or train more than 10,000 people in Placemaking techniques. Over the past 37 years, Fred has worked on hundreds of projects all over the globe. Joining Guallart as a keynote speaker at our annual program will be Fred Kent, founder and president of the nonprofit organization Project for Public Spaces! Kent is a leading authority on revitalizing city spaces and one of the foremost thinkers in livability, smart growth and the future of the city. He is known throughout the world as a dynamic speaker and prolific ideas man. Click here to learn more.
2015 FRA Annual Conference Mobile Tours will include:
3rd Annual (ZEN) FRA River Boat Tour
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 6-8 p.m. (Boats start loading at 6:15 p.m.)
For the first time at SUNSET! Take a boat ride (six per boat) down the Hillsborough River to the bay, and watch the sunset over downtown. Enjoy the under-bridge lighting displays, the recently completed Tampa River Walk, Waterworks Park and Ulele Restaurant from the comfort of one of the rented electric boats. At the end of the narrated tour (approximately 8:00 p.m.) enjoy a complementary beverage at the 360 degree waterfront restaurant/bar, Sail Pavilion, next to the docks. http://www.tampaconventioncenter.com/facility-information/sail-pavilion/ $40/person, pre-registration required please and space is limited. https://instagram.com/eboatstampa/
Tour Host: Michael M. English, AICP, Principal Planner, BCC Engineering, Inc. and FRA Board member
Sponsored by: BCC Engineering, Inc.
Central Business/Waterfront Districts Public Art Tour
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 8-11 a.m.
You will find out why Tampa is one of the premier downtowns known for its Public Art. Learn about the artists, challenges, experiences and funding of each project, from the people who are involved directly in Tampa’s Arts Programs. The tour begins at City Hall and continues south through the downtown toward the Waterfront District. This tour will be part walking, part bus. Tour participants will see a large-scale photo mosaic mural, artist-designed gates, as well as other surprises along the way. Along the river walk, we will discuss and see the tallest sculpture in Florida – Lightning by Jonathan Borofsky.
Tour Host: Melissa LeBaron, Project Coordinator, City of Tampa Art Programs
Sponsored by: The City of Tampa