Convention Bureau Launches Business Meeting Campaign
Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau this week announced a two-year effort to spur economic development in southeast Michigan by encouraging local businesses and associations to consider holding their meetings in the region.
The initiative called "Let's Meet in The D!" seeks to actively recruit companies and associations to host meetings in metro Detroit and named 13 early adopter companies that committed to the "Let's Meet in The D!" program before it was formally announced.
Among the early adopters was Little Caesars – owned by Michael and Marian Ilitch – which is moving the Little Caesars 2009 worldwide conference for franchisees from Las Vegas to Detroit next spring.
The meeting is accepted to bring more than 1,500 people to Detroit and have a regional direct spending impact of $1.4 million. It is just one of several that Little Caesars and the other Ilitch companies will hold in the region, the DMCVB says.
In addition, General Motors Corp., the largest employer in the region, has identified over 15 meetings that will be scheduled in Detroit over the next two years as a result of "Let's Meet in The D."
Other early adopter companies are: Bank of America; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; Crain Communications Inc.; Deloitte; Detroit Medical Center; ePrize; Ford Motor Co.; Michigan Economic Development Corp.; Northwest Airlines; Strategic Staffing Solutions; and Verizon Wireless.
Speaking to WWJ Newsradio 950's Pat Sweeting and other reporters, DMCVB Chair Christopher Illitch said they want leaders to view Detroit as a good place for meetings conferences and conventions. "When you think about companies that are based in this community, a lot of their potential meeting participants might already be here," Illitch said.
"So, it could actually make the meeting much more efficient. In these economic times, companies are looking for greater efficiency and streamlining of their costs -- and their may be some saving to be had there," he said.
Several other companies have expressed interest and should be officially on board with the program in the next 60 days, according to the DMCVB.
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Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau this week announced a two-year effort to spur economic development in southeast Michigan by encouraging local businesses and associations to consider holding their meetings in the region. 
