IL Chamber picks brains of 20-somethings for ideas on area's image

As part of their effort to create a hipper, happenin' image for the Quad Cities and attract young, upwardly mobile professionals, the YPN or Yuppie Promotional Network, err...Young Professionals Network program of the Illinois Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce held it's first "Conversation Cafe" Tuesday night.

Attendees discussed issues through three panels. At each panel, facilitators asked why they choose to call the Quad-Cities home, how the area can overcome its boring image and how it can best market its quality of life for young professionals.

Rotating through three 15-20-minute sessions, participants dined on sandwiches while engaging in creative thinking and exploring solutions to keep college graduates in the Quad-Cities.

Molly Foley, YPN director, said the cafe is "the beginning of a marketing campaign specified towards young talent. What I expect is to just open a (continuing) dialog amongst young talent."

But how much hipper can we get? I mean, there's already a growing population of our brand of yuppie flourishing in their Lexus SUVs, super busy lifestyles and fitness clubs. We've already got a Starbucks and a few Thai restaurants. Lot's of people already wear little narrow glasses. And Lord knows the area is incredibly tolerant towards anyone creative and -gasp- liberal.

Take Moline for instance. You can tell how much foresight they've had by directing their development money towards less conservative projects that would attract and cater to younger people. The town is full of great music and art venues and quirky specialty shops. Oh wait. I must have been thinking of somewhere else. In Moline, they don't like that sort of thing. It might attract hippies and, God forbid, liberals. (but aren't all liberals hippies? I know they're all communists who hate America. Sean Hanity told me so.)