Greater Philadelphia is on a roll after several consecutive years of major events like Pope Francis’ visit, the Democratic National Convention and the NFL Draft. We also have major ongoing development initiatives in University City, Camden and King of Prussia.

But as a region, we’re also at a crossroads. Do we maintain the status quo or make serious policy changes to become a major economic hotspot?

That question will be front and center as the Philadelphia Business Journal hosts its third annual Economic Conference to kick off 2018.

The half-day, Jan. 9 conference will feature a morning keynote address by Amy Liu, vice president of the Brookings Institution and director of its Metropolitan Policy Program. Liu co-founded that program in 1996, and it has since become a major source of policy ideas and initiatives across the country.

Using “rigorous research to inform strategies for economic growth and opportunity,” Brookings Metro has served as a key adviser to leaders in Chicago, Kansas City, Phoenix, upstate New York, New Orleans and other regions. Most recently, Liu authored Remaking Economic Development: The Markets and Civics of Continuous Growth and Prosperity, in which she argues that city and metropolitan leaders must adopt a broader vision of economic development that can deliver economic growth, prosperity, and inclusion for all residents.

Liu’s address will be followed by four panel discussions on the outlook for the local economy, the Philadelphia area’s economic competitiveness, the future of the region’s health care industry and bold new real estate development initiatives.

Speakers include:

Jerry Sweeney, CEO, Brandywine Realty Trust

Mike Krupit, founder, Trajectify and serial Philadelphia entrepreneur

Alison Perelman, executive director, Philadelphia 3.0

Derek Green, Philadelphia City Councilman At-Large

and more!