The Urban Land Institute in early May held its Spring Meeting in Detroit for the first time in 40 years.
Turns out, that was a smart decision.
ASTI Environmental – which, of course, has a busy office in Detroit – recently sent out the record-setting numbers in an e-mail. According to the message, the Detroit-based Spring Meeting attracted an all-time high of 4,200 attendees. The meeting also raised a record $2.1 million from 127 sponsors.
ASTI reported, too, that 700 members of the Michigan chapter of ULI attended the event. That represents an impressive 97 percent of the chapter’s total membership.
Doug Brown, director of development with ASTI, said that the Spring Meeting provided the latest boost to Detroit as it continues its economic and development rebound.
“Much more than just another real estate conference, ULI did our region a favor as 80 percent of the attendees had never stepped foot in Detroit and were assessing the market for future real estate investment opportunities that can pay large dividends for the region in years to come,” Brown said.
