Creative Cities and Creative Class Innovator Coming to London

London, ON: Richard Florida, considered one of the brightest public intellectuals on creativity and the economy, will address local students and business leaders at the second annual Student-2-Business networking conference hosted by the LEDC and City of London with support from partners Western and Fanshawe. Florida is the author of the bestselling book, The Rise of the Creative Class, which was cited as a major breakthrough idea by the Harvard Business Review. His newest book Who's Your City? is an international best seller and Amazon book of the month. Florida is a regular columnist for the Globe and Mail who's work has been published in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Economist, The Harvard Business Review, and The Atlantic Monthly. “With over 15,000 students graduating each year from our post-secondary institutions, we are excited to hear Florida’s research and analysis on cutting-edge trends and expectations of the creative class,” explains LEDC President and CEO Peter White. The Student-2-Business Networking conference is designed to connect London business with emerging talent. The conference provides a learning opportunity for students and a forum for them to mix and mingle with local employers. Providing the keynote, Florida will address over 1000 students and business professionals Monday January 26th 2009 at 5:00pm. His address will combine in-depth analysis, cutting-edge trends, compelling personal stories and a touch of humor to demonstrate the relevance and importance of the creative class in today’s economy. Florida is Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute and Professor of Business and Creativity at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Florida has held professorships at George Mason University and Carnegie Mellon University and taught as a visiting professor at Harvard and MIT. He is founder of the Creative Class Group, an advisory services firm, charting new trends in business and community. Contact: Jeny Wallace, Director, Workforce Development LEDC, ph: 519 661 4526; email: jwallace@ledc.com