This yearly event will be held on Tuesday, August 23 – Friday, August 26, 2016, at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, MI.

MEDA’s biggest education and networking event of the year is its Annual Meeting. This three- to four-day conference (depending on the year) includes educational sessions covering the most important economic development topics and issues of the time as well as several networking opportunities.

In order to develop the best conference, a volunteer committee of MEDA members meets regularly to plan the Annual Meeting. Click here to learn more about the Annual Meeting Committee.

This year, our focus is you and your community.

What gets you the most “bang for your buck”? Often in economic development, it’s reusing an asset that already has a foundation in the community, whether it be a building, a natural resource or the people living there.

The annual meeting will teach you how to develop an eye for aspects of your community that have the potential for greatness as well as how to rebrand and promote the unique features your community already boasts.

Thought leaders will also touch on rethinking funding, reanalyzing your region and relearning your craft so you can prepare your economic development organization’s practices to address the future needs of the economic drivers in its area.

And this year, we’re taking you out of the conference room and on location in the heart of Detroit to see the city’s diversity firsthand — from Corktown to the world-famous Eastern Market, and an optional golf outing at Fieldstone Golf Course in Auburn Hills.

We hope that you will join us in Michigan’s All-American Comeback City because no matter how big or small your community may be, YOU are an integral piece of Michigan’s economy, Michigan’s diversity and Michigan’s history.

Agenda

Friday, August 26th

8:00 a.m. Registration Opens

8:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions

>> Reinforcing Your Local Housing Market
Let’s talk about housing beyong placemaking. What do you do when housing demand out paces supply? How do you know when this is even happening? This session will discuss various ways in which we as economic developers can keep our housing markets healthy and growing so that our businesses can continue to hire.
Moderator: Van Adams, Grant Implementation Specialist, MSHDA 
Panelists:
Pat Gillespie, President, Gillespie Group
Allan Hooper, Executive Director, Jackson Anchor Initiative
William Smith, Chief Financial Officer, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy
→ housing – measuring – workforce – demand ←

>> Reviewing Your Resume
The typical job description of an economic developer, and the knowledge needed to be successful, continuously changes and adapts as new concepts and trends come … and for some, go. Learn about the current trends in job expectations from a national job search consultant so you can be prepared for what might come your way. 
Todd Jorgensen, Managing Director and Principal, Jorgenson Consulting
→ skills – adapting – trends – tips – preparation ←

>> Regrowing Michigan’s Farms 
Major turnover is expected in the farming industry over the next 20 years and current trends in Michigan show farmers in their 50s through 70s retiring only to sell farms to other older farmers. Many young people cannot take on the responsibilities of their parent’s farms because of the capital it takes nowadays or they just don’t want to be in agriculture. What are the options for the future success of Michigan’s farms?
Susan Lackey, Executive Director, Legacy Land Conservancy
→ agriculture – rural – urban farms – ownership – capital – preparation ←

9:30 a.m. Networking Break

10:00 a.m. Concurrent Sessions

>> Rethinking Partnerships
Among a standard group of economic developers, there are several base industries represented. How much do we actually know about our partners and what their core objectives and key drivers are? What are the transferrable skills between each? How can we use knowledge of the varying disciplines to work better together?
Jason Kehrer, Design Strategist, NewNorth Center for Design in Business
→ skills – partnerships – strategy – tips – alignment ←

>> Rethinking Entrepreneurship
This fun session will make you think differently about small business development. Meet entrepreneurs who made something out of nothing… well, illegally-dumped building material, tire scrap and graffiti.
Kyle Dubay, Founder and Co-Owner, Woodward Throwbacks
Rev. Faith Fowler, Executive Director, Cass Community Social Services
Amy Peterson, CEO and Co-Founder, Rebel Nell
→ small business – funding – idea generation – partnership – results ←

>> Regrowing Your Knowledge of Agriculture in Economic Development
Michigan agriculture supports over $100 billion of economic activity every year and accounts for about 22% of the state’s employment. The diversity of our agriculture industry is second only to California, with more than 300 commodities produced on a commercial basis. Michigan is home to more than 50,000 farms, most owned by families or individuals, as well as many Fortune 500 food companies. With all this activity, what should local and regional economic developers focus on to leverage these opportunities to create growth in their communities. This session will offer both a state and local perspective on those opportunities and what can be done by economic developers to understand and partner with the agriculture community.
Peter Anastor, Director, Agriculture Development Division, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
Dan Carmody, President of Eastern Market Corporation
Jamie Zmitko-Somers, International Marketing Manager, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
→ agriculture – business development – community development – rural ←

11:00 a.m. Reinvesting in Infrastructure
Recent events in Michigan have opened the door and shined a bright light on aging infrastructure in Michigan. Preparing for automated vehicle and other technology, improving landing strips, replacing street lights, enhancing electric transmission and organizing the replacement of sewer lines are just some of the aspects that we need to think about to create a positive economic impact and maintain a quality of life for our residents. Learn about infrastructure modernization that is taking place right now!
Moderator: Carolyn Bennett, Economic Development Manager, DTE Energy
Panelists:
Bryant W. Holt, Deputy Director, Planning, Wayne County Airport Authority
Eric Janness, MEP Platform Manager, DTE Energy
Daniel J. Oginsky, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, ITC Holdings Corp.
Randall Roost, MBA, Principal Planner, Water Operations, Lansing Board of Water and Light

12:00 a.m. Adjourn for Tours

12:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Corktown Tour
Details off all of the cool things that you will experience on this tour are coming soon! You can register for the conference now and add the tours later!

12:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Eastern Market Tour
Details off all of the cool things that you will experience on this tour are coming soon! You can register for the conference now and add the tours later!