It’s described by some as a “schmooze fest” but, in reality, the Detroit Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference is so much more – an annual rite of May that brings the state’s best and brightest together for discussion, contemplation and tangible action.
Between Matt and myself, we have collectively attended something in the neighborhood of thirty “Mackinacs”; this year as in the past three years, representing the Chamber in event planning and execution, in particular with regard to working with scores of media that cover the conference from across the state and the country. We worked closely with Chamber communications and marketing pros Jim Martinez and Megan Spanitz in the months and weeks leading up to the event through this past Friday’s conclusion.
2014 on the island also marked the monumental announcement, via a press conference that we helped engineer, of the White House awarding a portion of $1.2 billion in federal funding to Advance Michigan’s Investing in Manufacturing Communities Program (IMCP). This represented the hard work of leaders from the state, including the Governor and MEDC, and those of 13 collaborating counties. The event, held on the porch of the Grand Hotel, featured Bryce Kelley of Wayne County EDGE, Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano, Congressman John Dingell, Senator Debbie Stabenow and others and will be a game changer in the promotion and support of the auto and manufacturing industries in our state. Tanner Friedman client WIN (Workforce Intelligence Network) spearheaded the initiative led by Lisa Katz, WIN Executive Director.
And, what would the Mackinac Conference be without a meaningful collaboration between GalaxE.Solutions and Goodwill Industries of Detroit? In recent years, our two clients have joined forces to promote and celebrate living and working in the city through the “Outsource Detroit” and “Love, Detroit!” campaigns. This year, camouflage t-shirts sporting the “Operation Good Jobs” project raised awareness of the need for vital funding for Goodwill programs to help military veterans and their families. Watch the video debuted at the event here.
Mackinac is about clinking wine glasses and slapping backs but that’s a small part of the proceedings. Dig a little deeper and you’ll see the all-important building of relationships, collaboration and, quite often, consensus around solutions to key issues and challenges affecting our state. It may take a long time to get there but things do get done. And when that happens, you’ve really arrived.