Nov. 15, 2006

The Department of History, Arts and Libraries and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs will present a conference titled "Driving Michigan's Economic Engine: Using Culture and Tourism to Fuel Community Prosperity" on Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lansing.  The conference will be held at the Lansing Center, with an estimated 1,000 community and state leaders expected to attend.

State partners for the event include Travel Michigan, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, and departments of Labor & Economic Growth, Agriculture, Environmental Quality and Natural Resources. New this year is a Power Surge Kick-Off Reception the night before the conference from 6-9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at the Kresge Art Museum & Fairchild Theatre at MSU.

"Michiganders are blessed with a rich and diverse culture to celebrate, whether it's walking in the Tulip Parade in Holland, attending the Potato Festival in Posen, or driving in the Woodward Dream Cruise," Granholm said.  "This conference will provide tools communities across the state can use to highlight their unique culture and strengthen their economy."

Cultural, business, tourism, economic development, government and civic leaders and other representatives are encouraged to attend the conference to generate creative new ways to invigorate their community's economy.

"Every Michigan community, regardless of size, has a compelling story to tell and a unique sense of place to share with visitors, and that's really what cultural tourism is all about," said Dr. William Anderson, director of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.  "This one-day conference is a tremendous opportunity for community leaders to learn how to best take advantage of those opportunities to develop and profit from their area's own cultural and tourism assets."

Conference keynote speakers include:

• Keith Bellows, vice president of the National Geographic Society and editor-in-chief of the National Geographic Traveler magazine, and;
   
• N.Y. Nathiri, executive director of the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.), which oversaw the transformation of a small local festival into an internationally recognized celebration of African-American heritage and culture.
  

The conference will feature a Tips & Tools Center where attendees can exchange ideas, network, meet one-on-one with conference experts and tour exhibitor booths.  The center includes a Think Tank - providing the rare opportunity for conference attendees to chat one-on-one with conference speakers, state agency representatives and other cultural, tourism and community development experts; roundtable discussions; and even a Cyber Café to enter your organization's data into Travel Michigan's database.

"The Tips & Tools Center is one of the most sought after attractions at the conference since it's an opportunity to make new contacts, learn how state agencies can help you, and collect resource material for future use.  Cool Cities, one of DLEG's initiatives, is just one of the government and public sector exhibitors in the center that will be of interest to community leaders to focus on community revitalization and economic development," said Robert W. Swanson, director of the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth.

Registration for one, two or three people is $80 per person by the early registration deadline of Nov. 17 or $95 per person after Nov 17.  Team registration for four or more people is the most cost-effective option with $260 (for four) plus $65 per additional team member by Nov. 17.  The price increases for teams to $320 (for four) plus $80 per additional team member after Nov. 17.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).