'What Can the D Do for Your Business?'

Top Marketers and Business Leaders Are Invited to Learn at the D Brand Summit
Feb. 1, 2008 at The Henry Ford

DETROIT, Dec. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Marketers and business leaders will
learn how to use the power of the Detroit brand to create opportunities for
their business or organization, Feb. 1, 2008 at the D Brand Summit at The
Henry Ford.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070131/CLW063LOGO )

After nearly a year of development, the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors
Bureau (DMCVB) in 2007 unveiled the "D Brand," a tourism and community
development brand platform designed to attract visitors of all kinds to metro
Detroit. The D Brand Summit is a one-day event hosted by The Henry Ford and
produced by the DMCVB's Tourism Economic Development Council (TEDC) to share
cutting-edge brand-building skills, tools and insights that can make a real
difference to the success of Detroit organizations - and the future of
Detroit.

In 2008, the D Brand will mean more than ever: It's the "Year of the Car,"
celebrating milestone anniversaries in the Big Three. The new Detroit
Institute of Arts is open, Detroit will have three new casino hotels, and
Detroit will host the PGA Championship. Revitalization and growth are
continuing downtown and surrounding suburbs, giving marketers positive news
about the transformation occurring in metro Detroit.

The D Brand Summit keynote speaker is best-selling author and globally
renowned strategy consultant, Dr. John Kao. Dubbed "Mr. Creativity" and "a
serial innovator" by The Economist, Dr. Kao is the author of BusinessWeek
best-seller Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity, that has
been published in a dozen languages, and Innovation Nation. Kao will talk
about what Detroit needs to do to become a hub of innovation and how it can
use its brand to create a coherent message about the region.

Attendees will gain a first-hand understanding of how the D Brand -- Detroit's
official tourism and community development brand -- can support their
organizations' brand and business initiatives while helping to create a
unified and positive perception of Detroit and the region. Attendees will
learn about recruiters who leverage the Power of Place, D Brand
early-adopters, what metro Detroiters can accomplish by thinking like a
tourist, and how the D Brand can support regional economic development and
urban revitalization.

Summit speakers include:

-- Patricia Mooradian, President, The Henry Ford
-- Mary Kramer, Publisher, Crain's Detroit Business
-- Todd Smith, CEO, Clear Blue Communications
-- Russell Banks, Creative Director, Gensler Brand Practice
-- Christopher Baum, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, DMCVB
-- Brian Boyle, Co-Founder, Issue Media Group
-- Tavi Fulkerson, President, The Fulkerson Group
-- Michael Hinshaw, Founder and Managing Partner, MCorp
-- Carol Kendra, Chief Marketing Officer, The Henry Ford
-- Eric La Brecque, Principal, Applied Storytelling

The summit is sponsored by Crain's Detroit Business, Clear Blue
Communications, PVS Chemicals, Inc., Progressive Printing, Applied
Storytelling, Inc., Model D and the DMCVB. Additional sponsorship
opportunities are still available.

The D Brand Summit is Friday, Feb. 1 from 8 am-5 pm. Lunch will be served and
the summit will be followed by a reception. Register online at
http://www.dbrandsummit.com/register.asp. The cost of the Summit is $200 per
person. Early-birds can save 50% and register for $100. For registration
questions or sponsorship opportunities, contact Diane Bach at
dbach@visitdetroit.com or (313) 202-1949.

SOURCE Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau

Jim Townsend of TEDC, +1-313-202-1970