We just finished our annual MSBO Leadership Conference which was held this year at the Marriott Hotel at the Renaissance Center in Detroit. This was actually the third year in a row that the annual Leadership Conference was held here in Detroit, and was probably one of our most important as we prepare for next year’s annual conference. I would like to take this opportunity as your president-elect to invite everyone to come to next year’s annual conference in my home town of Detroit.
I can’t tell you how excited I am that we will be in Detroit in 2009. I was born at St. John Hospital in Detroit, and my father is a retiree of the City of Detroit. I attended Detroit Public Schools through eighth grade. Because we moved when I was in fifth grade, I attended two elementary schools and a K-8 school, and all three of them had its own auditorium. In fact, auditorium class was part of the curriculum and we had to go on stage to recite poems and perform plays. Can you imagine the expense of building an auditorium in an elementary school today? I received college degrees from the two universities located in the city of Detroit - my undergraduate degree from Wayne State University and my graduate degree from the University of Detroit. That was before U of D merged with Mercy College and became University of Detroit Mercy. My first professional job was an accountant for the City of Detroit. I can remember riding the Department of Transportation bus for fifty cents to Tiger Stadium and paying $2.00 to sit in the bleacher section. I remember watching the Detroit Lions play the Los Angeles Rams at Tiger Stadium (I don’t remember who won, only that it was cold) and watching the Detroit Red Wings at Olympia. I remember watching the soap box derby at Derby Hill in Detroit. I don’t know if they even have this event any more. As you can see, I have many fond memories of Detroit, and I’m sure you will have fond memories of Detroit also after you come to the annual conference.
We devoted the first day of our Leadership Conference to learning more about Detroit – its conference facilities and the city itself. We discussed the fact that there may be some apprehensions for those MSBO members that have never been to Detroit or may not have visited in a long time. One apprehension is the concern about driving in the city. Let me assure you. I have traveled and driven in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Denver, St. Louis, Cleveland, Los Angeles and San Francisco and Detroit is by far the easiest to drive and navigate around amongst all of these great cities. The traffic volume is far lighter than these other places, and we don’t have as many one-way streets as some of the other cities do. And all of the traffic signs are in understandable English. I was in Montreal in September and every sign in Quebec province is in French!
If you don’t like to drive, once you have arrived, there are many fun places you can walk to. There is Greek town only two blocks away from the Renaissance Center with its fine restaurants and even a casino. You could walk over and check out the newly renovated Book Cadillac Hotel, which was once the tallest hotel in the world, or the newly renovated Fort Shelby Hotel. Of course you need to stop by the Hard Rock Café in the Compuware Center, right in the middle of downtown at the site of the old JL Hudson flagship store. Comerica Park is a short walk from the Ren Cen and the Yankees will be in town during the conference. Who knows, maybe the Red Wings will be hosting a playoff game at the Joe or the Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. There are a number of nice restaurants and other fun places in downtown Detroit.
And let’s not forget the conference. Cobo Center, where the exhibit hall and conference sessions will be held is a short walk away, or you can take the People Mover. This is a great opportunity for those members who have never attended an MSBO conference to come to Detroit for a day. We will once again have outstanding speakers and sessions designed to keep you up to date on all that is happening in our profession. More detailed information will be coming out in the near future.
I encourage each and every one of you to join us in Detroit next year. I promise you will not be disappointed.