Tourism officials seek to convince groups that city can be a major convention destination

Larry Alexander wants association executives to know that everything they've heard about Detroit is true.

Yes, the city filed for bankruptcy. Yes, it has some serious financial issues. But according to Alexander, who is CEO of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, city and state officials are investing a lot of money to reinvent the city as a major destination for conventions and trade shows. Take the $279 million transformation of Detroit's Cobo Center, which will be completed just in time for ASAE's Annual Meeting & Expo in August 2015.

"We will be 100 percent finished by June of next year and we are looking at ASAE as our coming out party," he told CEO Update. "So the first thing will be to showcase that convention center to the association world so it can see what we have to offer there."

ASAE wrapped up its 2014 convention Tuesday in Nashville. Next year the "association of associations" will head to Detroit—something of a gamble for the group, given the city's reputation.

It's an image problem Alexander doesn't dispute, but he said the problems so many people have heard about don't affect visitors to the city. The bankruptcy is a city financial issue that doesn't have anything to do with the convention center or visitors bureau. The crime problems are far away from the downtown corridor where the convention center is located.

Alexander would rather talk about what he sees as Detroit's many strengths as a destination city: more than 4,500 hotel rooms near the convention center. A remodeled airport that handles 1,200 flights every day. More than $11 billion in private sector investment in the city's downtown and riverfront districts. And city rates and taxes that are lower than many other venues.

"We have it all and we're affordable—that's the key," Alexander said.

Only time will tell whether Detroit will make enough of an impression on ASAE attendees to sway them to move their trade shows to the city. Tourism officials certainly will try hard to win converts. Among the events planned for next year's meeting are an opening night party at the Henry Ford Museum, a reception at the 5,000-seat Fox Theatre and a closing night party on the riverfront.

"We've got a lot that's been planned," he said. "The committees have been hard at work developing every detail. And the whole theme and purpose is to be sure that at every touch point a ‘wow' is created for the attendees while they are in Detroit."

Detriot's Riverwalk is one of many attractions tourism officials hope will impress association executives when they gather in the city next year for the ASAE Annual Meeting & Expo.
(Photo: Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau)