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Conference: Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Theme: Three Pillars of the Recovery: Oil, Politics and Consumers |
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Conference Program |
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8:00 a.m. |
Registration & Coffee |
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8:30 a.m. |
Words of Welcome |
Fenwick Huss
[read bio]
Dean
J. Mack Robinson College of Business |
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8:35 a.m. |
Will Oil Spoil the Global Outlook?
Loungani will provide the IMF's outlook for the global economy with a special focus on whether high oil prices can halt global expansion. The presentation will also touch upon how oil-producing countries such as Russia can make good use of their windfall gains. |
Prakash Loungani
[read bio]
Assistant to the Director
International Monetary Fund |
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8:55 a.m.
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The Consumer Driven Economy: Will Demand Sputter or Shift into Overdrive?
Consumers are the primary drivers of economic growth as they account for more than two-thirds of all GDP spending. The presentation will document recent changes in consumers' expectations about the future pace of job creation, income growth, inflation, and interest rates and how those expectations will shape their spending behavior in the year ahead. |
Richard Curtin
[read bio]
Director, Consumer Survey
University of Michigan |
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9:15 a.m. |
How NOT to Run a Government
Watkins will discuss California's budget deficit, how they got there, and lessons for other governments.
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Bill Watkins
[read bio]
Executive Director
UCSB Economic Forecast Project
University of California, Santa Barbara
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9:35 a.m. |
Better Times Ahead for Atlanta Tourism?
Richardson will discuss the details of tourism in Atlanta, the most important drivers and where this industry is headed
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Spurgeon Richardson
[read bio]
President and CEO
Atlanta Convention & Visitors' Bureau |
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9:55 a.m. |
Q & A |
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10:10 a.m. |
Refreshments Break |
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10:30 a.m. |
Forecast of The Nation, State and the Region |
Rajeev Dhawan
[read bio]
Director
Economic Forecasting Center
J. Mack Robinson College of Business |
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11:30 a.m. |
Final Remarks and Q&A |
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11:40 a.m. |
Light lunch and Networking |
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CANCELLATION POLICY: To cancel your registration and be eligble for a refund, call the Economic Forecasting Center at 404-413-7260 before 4pm the day before the conference. A stop payment of a check does not constitute a formal cancellation. Registrants who do not attend the conference and have not cancelled one day prior to the conference are liable for the entire registration fee but will be mailed conference materials.
SUBSTITUTION POLICY: If an annual subscriber cannot attend the conference, another person from the same company can substitute in the subscriber's place.
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Prakash Loungani
Assistant to the Director,
International Monetary Fund
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BIO- An economist by training, Prakash Loungani is Assistant to the IMF's External Relations Director. He also serves as an editor for the IMF's publications Finance & Development and IMF Survey. His work experience includes stints at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington D.C, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and the University of Florida.
His research interests include: assessment of macroeconomic forecasting performance; understanding trade linkages among nations and regions; modeling the impact of oil prices on the macroeconomy. This research has been published in both academic journals (including Journal of Monetary Economics, Review of Economics and Statistics and International Journal of Forecasting) and in various policy outlets and newspapers (such as Financial Times).
Loungani received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Bombay (India) and a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Rochester.
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Richard Curtin
Director, Consumer Surveys
University of Michigan
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BIO- Richard T. Curtin has been the Director of the Surveys of Consumers at the Survey Research Center, The University of Michigan, since 1976. The results from the surveys are widely used by businesses and financial institutions, by federal agencies responsible for monetary and fiscal policies, as well as by academic researchers. This represents a significant, independent confirmation of the usefulness of the surveys for understanding and forecasting changes in the national economy.
Through frequent presentations and published articles, Dr. Curtin has reported on his research in behavioral economics, including consumer saving and spending behavior, household income and wealth, reactions to changing economic opportunities, and public policy preferences. Dr. Curtin received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan in 1975.
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Bill Watkins
Executive Director
UCSB Forecasting Project
University of California, Santa Barbara
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BIO- Bill Watkins, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Economic Forecast Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, a position he has held since January 2000. Under Watkins, the UCSB Economic Forecast Project has expanded the scope of its core regional forecasting activities and now works on demographic trends, economic development, workforce issues, equity, and California economics.
Immediately prior to joining the Staff at the Economic Forecast Project, Dr. Watkins was an economist at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington D.C. He has been published in academic journals and is often interviewed by the popular press. Dr. Watkins had approximately 19 years of lending experience, mostly in Southern California banks, when he returned to graduate school in the early 1990s, where he earned his Ph.D. in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1998.
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BIO- Spurgeon Richardson has been president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) since July 1991 and has more than 30 years experience in the hospitality industry. Prior to joining the ACVB, he was president and general manager of Six Flags Over Georgia. He began his 25-year career at the amusement park in the marketing department, serving most of those years as President and General Manager.
Richardson currently serves as chairman of the Vinnings Club, is a Board member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Central Atlanta Progress, Midtown Alliance and of the Atlanta Rotary Club. He also serves in the Georgia Hospitality Travel Association's Hall of Fame. A native of Edison, Ga., Richardson received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Georgia.
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