Events Calendar for BALLE and Friends
Check out our upcoming events below, or see our Events Archive for information on recent BALLE events.
Please note, we now have active registration pages for our training workshops in Bellingham and Santa Fe. See below!
BALLE Economic Development Webinar Series
August 31, 1 pm - 2:30 pm Pacific Time
Call topic: Assets Inventory
Hosted by Michael Shuman, BALLE Research & Economic Development Director, our ten-part economic development webinar series is designed to help our networks change the nature of the local economic development discourse -- and to lead communities to carry out a number of economic development initiatives. The series parallels the chapters of our forthcoming workbook, A Local Living Economy Approach to Economic Development. Each month, Michael presents the strategy and tools from a new chapter of the workbook, and features local leaders who can speak about that economic development approach from a practical perspective. Open to BALLE member networks and their staff, boards, and business members, the call topics and materials are advertised via our network leader listserve.
The August webinar is the second in the series and will focus on how and why you can inventory assets in your community. Specifically, what's available in land, labor, capital and social capital for new or expanded local business?
BALLE Network Leaders Roundup Call
September 14, 10 am - 11 am Pacific Time
Tentative call topic: BALLE's New Leakage Calculators: Improving Your Rigor, and Identifying New Business and Job Opportunities for Your Community
Our monthly conference calls for network leaders feature presentations and discussions on topics of interest at both the regional and national levels, and feature expert speakers and network leaders themselves. Calls are held the second Tuesday of each month and are open to representatives of BALLE networks, including network staff, board members, and key business members. Call topics and reminders are advertised via our network leader listserve.
BALLE Basics Call
September 21, 1 pm - 2:15 pm Pacific Time
Join us to learn about forming a network of locally owned, independent businesses in your community! We will discuss local living economy principles, BALLE services and network benefits, and the network application and intake process. We'll leave significant time for your questions, so we recommend reviewing our Start a Network page before the call. Basics Calls are held each month on the third Tuesday. Registration will be limited to the first 20 RSVPs. A registration link will be posted closer to time; please email us with questions.
BALLE Economic Development Webinar Series
September 27, 1 pm - 2:30 pm Pacific Time
Call topic: Leakage Analysis
Hosted by Michael Shuman, BALLE Research & Economic Development Director, our ten-part economic development webinar series is designed to help our networks change the nature of the local economic development discourse -- and to lead communities to carry out a number of economic development initiatives. The series parallels the chapters of our forthcoming workbook, A Local Living Economy Approach to Economic Development. Each month, Michael presents the strategy and tools from a new chapter of the workbook, and features local leaders who can speak about that economic development approach from a practical perspective. Open to BALLE member networks and their staff, boards, and business members, the call topics and materials are advertised via our network leader listserve.
The September webinar is the third in the series and will focus on why leakage analysis is important.
October 8, 8:30 am - 6:00 pm Pacific Time
Bellingham, WA
Led by Sustainable Connections Executive Director Derek Long, this is a "how to" workshop for existing and new BALLE networks. Our day-long workshop is packed with presentations, group discussion and hands-on activities designed to equip you with the key principles, best practices, proven tools, and regional relationships needed to build business and community innovation through the building blocks of a local living economy. You'll create a specific work plan for your community and leave with a host of program examples and templates for local success. Appropriate for local business, government, and community representatives currently organizing or growing a local, independent business network. Please see our workshops page for more information. Or follow this link to register.
BALLE Network Leaders Roundup Call
October 12, 10 am - 11 am Pacific Time
Tentative call topic: Sustainability Programs for your Business Members: Education, Promotion, Certification, and Measurement
Our monthly conference calls for network leaders feature presentations and discussions on topics of interest at both the regional and national levels, and feature expert speakers and network leaders themselves. Calls are held the second Tuesday of each month and are open to representatives of BALLE networks, including network staff, board members, and key business members. Call topics and reminders are advertised via our network leader listserve.
BALLE Basics Call
October 19, 1 pm - 2:15 pm Pacific Time
Join us to learn about forming a network of locally owned, independent businesses in your community! We will discuss local living economy principles, BALLE services and network benefits, and the network application and intake process. We'll leave significant time for your questions, so we recommend reviewing our Start a Network page before the call. Basics Calls are held each month on the third Tuesday. Registration will be limited to the first 20 RSVPs. A registration link will be posted closer to time; please email us with questions.
Regional Network Gathering
October 25, 9 am - 4 pm Eastern Time
Grand Rapids, MI
Throughout North America, BALLE networks are effectively linking businesses to create the building blocks of a new economy. The expertise for creating and growing local living economies is emerging from the ground up, and the most innovative knowledge about what is working resides with the network organizers who are pioneering this approach. BALLE Regional Gatherings bring together these innovative network organizers for peer-to-peer sharing of ideas and successful programs. Gatherings also explore common challenges and build relationships for long-term regional success. This Regional Gathering is hosted by Local First West Michigan, a national leader in the local living economies movement and a BALLE Regional Hub Network. For more information, please email us.
Workshop: Building a Local BALLE Network
October 26, 8:30 am - 6:00 pm Eastern Time
Grand Rapids, MI
Co-hosted by Michelle Long and Local First West Michigan Executive Director Elissa Sangalli-Hillary, this is a "how to" workshop for existing and new BALLE networks. Our day-long workshop is packed with presentations, group discussion and hands-on activities designed to equip you with the key principles, best practices, proven tools, and regional relationships needed to build business and community innovation through the building blocks of a local living economy. You'll create a specific work plan for your community and leave with a host of program examples and templates for local success. Appropriate for local business, government, and community representatives currently organizing or growing a local, independent business network. Please see our workshops page for more information.
BALLE Economic Development Webinar Series
October 26, 1 pm - 2:30 pm Pacific Time
Call topic: Leakage Analysis
Hosted by Michael Shuman, BALLE Research & Economic Development Director, our ten-part economic development webinar series is designed to help our networks change the nature of the local economic development discourse -- and to lead communities to carry out a number of economic development initiatives. The series parallels the chapters of our forthcoming workbook, A Local Living Economy Approach to Economic Development. Each month, Michael presents the strategy and tools from a new chapter of the workbook, and features local leaders who can speak about that economic development approach from a practical perspective. Open to BALLE member networks and their staff, boards, and business members, the call topics and materials are advertised via our network leader listserve.
The October webinar is the fourth in the series and will be a discussion on building blocks and emerging industries for a local living economy.
October 28, 8:30 am - 6:00 pm Mountain Time
Santa Fe, NM
Led by Santa Fe Alliance Executive Director Vicki Pozzebon, this is a "how to" workshop for existing and new BALLE networks. Our day-long workshop is packed with presentations, group discussion and hands-on activities designed to equip you with the key principles, best practices, proven tools, and regional relationships needed to build business and community innovation through the building blocks of a local living economy. You'll create a specific work plan for your community and leave with a host of program examples and templates for local success. Appropriate for local business, government, and community representatives currently organizing or growing a local, independent business network. Please see our workshops page for more information. Or follow this link to register.
Regional Network Gathering
October 29, 9 am - 4 pm Mountain Time
Santa Fe, NM
BALLE Network Leaders Roundup Call
November 9, 10 am - 11 am Pacific Time
Tentative call topic: Activating Slow Money and Community Capital: Opportunities and Resources for BALLE Networks
Our monthly conference calls for network leaders feature presentations and discussions on topics of interest at both the regional and national levels, and feature expert speakers and network leaders themselves. Calls are held the second Tuesday of each month and are open to representatives of BALLE networks, including network staff, board members, and key business members. Call topics and reminders are advertised via our network leader listserve.
BALLE Basics Call
November 16, 1 pm - 2:15 pm Pacific Time
Join us to learn about forming a network of locally owned, independent businesses in your community! We will discuss local living economy principles, BALLE services and network benefits, and the network application and intake process. We'll leave significant time for your questions, so we recommend reviewing our Start a Network page before the call. Basics Calls are held each month on the third Tuesday. Registration will be limited to the first 20 RSVPs. A registration link will be posted closer to time; please email us with questions.
BALLE's National Buy Local Week 2010
November 26 - December 5
BALLE's Buy Local Week will be celebrated by many of our 80+ local business networks across the US and Canada. Buy Local Week is an opportunity for locally owned businesses to work together to increase the local economic impact of holiday spending, create more jobs, more tax revenue and a more stable local economy.
Because locally owned businesses spend substantially more money locally, they typically generate two to four times the economic multiplier benefit for their communities as do nonlocal businesses. As holiday season spending represents the largest chunk of revenue for retailers in a single year, a shift of just 10% of holiday spending toward locally owned businesses has the potential to create an impact of billions in economic activity in just two months.
Buy Local Week leverages traditional media, online marketing, public events, local news and radio and other local partnerships to raise awareness of the role of local business on our economy.
BALLE Network Leaders Roundup Call
December 14, 10 am - 11 am Pacific Time
Tentative call topic: Homerun Federal, State and Local Public Policies for Building Local Living Economies
Our monthly conference calls for network leaders feature presentations and discussions on topics of interest at both the regional and national levels, and feature expert speakers and network leaders themselves. Calls are held the second Tuesday of each month and are open to representatives of BALLE networks, including network staff, board members, and key business members. Call topics and reminders are advertised via our network leader listserve.
